Indigenous Australians

functioned to subjugate and control the indigenous population. The Aborigines Protection Act, 1909 (Cth) was particularly devastating, stripping Indigenous people of basic human rights and freedoms, and robbing generations of their connection to their families and culture. The Act was abolished in 1969, however, the trauma continues to impact the wellbeing of Indigenous people today. In an effort to reconcile past injustices and improve the lives of Indigenous people, the Federal Parliament…

took the land from the Indigenous people of Australia. The idea and myth of terra nullius has had a large impact on Australian identity. Mainly it was to instill a sense of white ownership of Australia as a part of Australian identity. Though, to do such required a systematic oppression of the Indigenous Australians by denying them citizenship for many years, ignoring how their land was taken from them during colonization, and overshadowing their involvement in Australian military. Today, there…

Disease is at a high level of prevalence in the Indigenous Populations of Australia Video This video outlines the health issues that Indigenous Populations in Australia face and describes the fact that Indigenous groups on average die earlier than other Australians. It focuses on multiple reasons for this statistic not just the prevalence of CVD however is interesting to look at to introduce the realities of the health crisis facing Indigenous Australians. It also explains that one important…

approved relating to the only two discriminatory laws included in the Australian constitution. This referendum altered the balance of the inequity intended for to the aboriginals which strictly was a vote on the alteration of the constitution. Although, this referendum did give the indigenous Australians or Torres Strait Islanders the right to vote. This was a major endorsement, seeing the highest YES vote recorded in Australian…

underlying factor of intelligence it can become a problematic issue when assessing Indigenous Australians. Gardener’s multiple intelligence theory, along with Charles Spearman’s g factor theory and Lewis Terman Standford-Binet scales are all underlying theories which all address the same issues in the accuracy of assessments. Literature suggest that language, literacy skills, education and cultural norms across Western and Indigenous culture differ which can result in an inaccuracy of…

Potential effects of Learning and Development It was found that including cross- curriculum priorities (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures) would help to narrow the Indigenous gap. However, there can be many potential effects, of narrowing the gap through the introduction of cross-curriculum priorities, in relation to children’s learning and development. By including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures, students can improve their knowledge about…

The native Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia had, since western settlement in 1788, been dispossessed of their natural freedoms and rights. Centuries later, by 1954, the law still discriminated against the indigenous, inhibiting their civil liberties; however, many improvements have occurred which substantially bettered the standards of life as present. Originally, Aborigines were considered savages and fell under the Flora and Fauna Act, but through the reconciliation…

In 1770 Captain James Cook landed in Botany Bay with instructions to “with the consent of the natives take possession of the convenient situations in the name of the King… or if you find the land uninhabited Take Possession for His Majesty” (Australian Museum, 2015) these instructions held to European international laws at the time, however this request or the laws were not followed in the occupation of Australia. Cook declared the land he called New South Wales to be the property of Britain’s…

Education for the majority of Indigenous students is a daily struggle. The author has discovered that literacy in particular is difficult for Indigenous students to comprehend. Harrison and Sellwood (2016) points out, average literacy scores for Indigenous students are much lower than that of Australian students as a whole. The author believes educators are faced with the challenge to adjust their strategies to help increase the literacy levels of Indigenous students. Ordinary teaching practices…

become a symbol of hope for Indigenous and Torres Strait Islanders. Australia in modern day society are somewhat optimistic for the future of the relationship between both races. Attitudes to Indigenous lives and lifestyles, interactions and attitudes to personal involvement and cultural awareness and pride determines the quality of this relationship. The 2008 apology to the Stolen Generation was generally well received by the broader community, as well as Indigenous Australians, with the…