Role Of Assimilation In Australia

Throughout Aboriginal history, there had been phases which implemented policies that affected their basic rights and freedoms. Assimilation first appeared in 1937 and was a policy which encouraged Aboriginal people to drift away from their traditional culture and thus, adopt fitting in and adapting to the Australian way of life. This was era was significant to the Aborigines as they were not considered part of the general population and their traditional life eroded over time. It heavily impacted the Indigenous population as they were driven out of their own land and forced to live in fringe camps on the edge of towns, where they were treated like animals. The most tragic aspect of the assimilation policy was that it led to many children being taken away from their …show more content…
This policy was significant for Aboriginal rights as it was the first stepping stone into the recognition of all Aborigines living in Australia. The government’s intention of this policy was to encourage all Aborigines to maintain their traditional cultures whilst still becoming part of the wider Australian community. The Federal Government was more open to letting Aboriginal people integrate rather than assimilate. However, the Aboriginal people were still expected to adapt and adopt Australian way of life, but they were given more leeway in practicing their own culture and traditions that had been part of them for thousands of years. For the first time, Aboriginal people were able to keep their customs and to have a say in how their lives were run. The integration policy sparked the 1967 referendum which amended the constitution by removing discrimination against the Aborigines and included them in the national census. This impacted all the Indigenous people of