South East Queensland

Since the British colonization of Australia, the basic rights of indigenous Australian, including the land rights were despised, or even violated, by British settlements in many ways. Although the government’s policies have started to change from 1960s in order to protect human rights of indigenous people, the questions of reconciliation between them and Australian government have not been solved by now. In this essay, I will clarify Australia’s effort to make the reconciliation with indigenous…

Hidden in a picturesque Surfers Paradise side-street, unpaid helpers at the Gold Coast and Hinterland Historical Society work tirelessly to preserve local history. However, senior volunteers warn Gold Coast history is under threat of disappearing, advising it may never be recovered if this occurs. Former Historical Society President and fourth-generation Gold Coaster Bob Nancarrow believes ignorance poses the greatest danger, explaining many residents are unaware the Gold Coast even has a…

Asthma should remain a National Health Priority The National Health Priority Areas (NHPA) is an initiative of the Department of Health to outline and address the health conditions and injuries that create burden for the Australian health system (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) 2017). One of the priority areas is asthma, a chronic condition of the respiratory system with no cure (AIHW 2017). Asthma affects one in nine Australians, making it a large burden on the health system,…

Ever since 1788, when Australia was colonized as a British nation, Indigenous Australians have been represented in a problematic and untruthful manner by many non-indigenous and westernized institutions. In the nation’s healthcare system, Indigenous Australians are presented as being more unhealthy in terms of developed diseases, life expectancy and weigh related illnesses (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2011). The national education system, and the media, paint the indigenous…

1. Life expectancy at birth for Indigenous people is on average 17 years lower than that for the total Australian population. 2. In non-remote areas Aboriginal adults were twice as likely to be affected by and to report disability and/or chronic disease. 3. In 2006 21% of 15 year old Indigenous people versus 5% of 15 year old non–Indigenous people were not participating in school education. 4. The proportion of Aboriginal people in post secondary education, with a qualification of certificate…

From 1788 (After Europeans discovered Australia), the white settlers gradually took Aboriginal people’s traditional lands. They defined aboriginals as a doomed race (due to their intelligence and way of living). Therefore, in the name of protection, lots of policy relating to removal of children had been created and impacted on the Australian native people and their society over time. Even until now in 2016, some of the scars still cannot recover, such as loss of cultural identity, loss of…

The Australian 1967 Referendum was a referendum called by the Holt Government that occurred on the 27th of May 1967. The 1967 Referendum was significant for the civil rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders because it amended Section 51 and removed Section 127 from the Australian Constitution both of which discriminated against Aboriginals. A staggering 90.77% of Australian voters voted in favour of changing the Constitution believing that it would end racial discrimination towards…

The Public Health issue that will be discussed in this essay is Indigenous health. In this essay, targets, strategies, policies, plans, programs, projects and resources will be examined as it deals with this public health issue. The history of the Closing the gap program will broadly be discussed as well. Closing the gap is a strategy that aims at reducing the indigenous disadvantage with respect to life expectancy, child mortality, access to early childhood educational achievement, employment…

My initial reaction when I learned about the ‘Stolen Generation’ was absolute shock. I began to analyse and question myself why I was so shocked. I found several reasons, this includes: (1) my lack of knowledge; (2) I am an immigrant; (3) my early education was from the Philippines; (4) the early information I have for Indigenous Australians is based on what I have been told by my sister and her white Australian husband; (5) my own prejudice and bias towards Indigenous Australians. Firstly,…

Several Government commitments in the past maintain a positive impact on the future Indigenous Australians; however considering the social alienation, cultural exclusion, emotional and environmental disadvantages Indigenous peoples endured in the past what more can be done? To provide an improved educational experience for Indigenous Australians, the relevance of the recommendation brought forward in The Bringing them Home report section 9b. it states ‘all under-graduates and trainees in…