 Government policies towards Indigenous
Australians were initially in response to prevailing ideas of racial stereotypes, economic needs for land and resources and political pragmatism.
 These policies changed over time as a result of internal social activism by Indigenous Australians and the pressure of changing ideologies such as
Human and civil liberties.

"The Conciliation" painting by Benjamin
Duterrau, 1840


When Britain colonised North America and New Zealand the prior occupation of the land by indigenous peoples was recognised. Treaties were signed with these peoples, even if they were very one-sided. This did not happen with Australia’s
Aboriginal people.
From the very beginning the British had declared the land
‘Terra Nullius’ (no man’s land). This was legal as in the 18th
Century it was widely thought that if land was found that did not belong to anyone it could be taken and claimed. Captain
Cook declared it so in 1770 when he first made sight of
Australia.





Throughout the 19th century white settlers gradually moved the
Aboriginal people off their land and into reserves. The indigenous people were forced to experience dispossession and paternalism. In strictly legal terms they did not exist.
Paternalism is the practice of acting like a father, treating someone like a child, making decisions for them without allowing them responsibility.
The reserves were established to remedy the initial dispossession of land, as each colony passed laws most
Aboriginals became wards of the state.
It was not long before more land was needed for farming and these reserves were taken back by the government. By the late
1920s nearly all were in the hands of lease holders.


Protectionism 1886-1950s

Assimilation1950s-60s

Integration1965

Self Determination1972

Multiculturalism

Reconciliation

1.




Aborigines were treated legally as minors.
The chief protector of aborigines in each state was their guardian.
He was responsible for their health, welfare and education. Aboriginal people could not move house, travel, marry, or get a job without official approval. Under this policy Aboriginal people were kept on reserves. Some of these reserves had really bad living conditions.
Under the protection policy ''half caste'' children were removed from their
Aboriginal mothers to be brought up in the white community. This policy lasted until the 1950's.
Representation of White
Attitudes prevailing at this time ( Rabbit Proof Fence ) http://www.youtube.com/watc h?v=eWjGteDg9VE


Victoria 1886

Queensland 1897

Western Australia 1905

New South Wales 1909

South Australia 1911


In 1886 the Victorian Aborigines Protection Board was set up. Its aim, taken here from a parliamentary report, was


Wallagra, Kinchela,
Cootamundra …

Indigenous Women at Coranderrk 1880
Coranderrk Aboriginal Reserve in Victoria became a site of Aboriginal activism and the Coranderrk people gained a reputation amongst white authorities as 'trouble-makers' because they continually defended their rights through strikes, deputations and petitions. Women were active in several of the campaigns, including strikes and walk-off.

From the 1940s State governments decided to give citizenship rights to some
Aboriginal people under certain conditions. They had to promise to give up their traditional ways, to keep away from other Aboriginal people, to live a European lifestyle and to keep out of trouble. Certificates were then issued which allowed them to vote, to go into hotels, allowed their children to go to school, and removed them from the restrictions of State protection laws. Legally these certificates meant that the people who had them were no longer Aboriginal. In Western Australia these were called Citizenship Certificates, in NSW and Queensland they were called Exemption Certificates. These certificates could be suspended or cancelled by a magistrate and there was no right of appeal. Many Aboriginal people resented these certificates and called them "dog licences" or "dog tags". Of the 14,000
Aboriginal people eligible in NSW only 1,500 chose to apply.

2.




In the1950s and 1960's
Aborigines had to become socially and culturally white.
This was because the government wanted only one
Australian culture.
It was hoped that by adopting mainstream culture, Aboriginal people would become completely absorbed into white culture.
This policy was also applied to the migrants.
Children were still taken form their parents during this time.

Freedom Rides raised awareness of
Indigenous Civil Rights across Australia.
The Civil Rights Movement in the US
(left) helped to inspire these protests…

3.


The 1967 referendum brought about a change and
Aboriginal culture was recognised. Aborigines were expected to live like white people but maintain some of their traditional practices.
This policy lasted until the
Whitlam years.
Children continued to be taken from their mothers.
Gary Williams on the 1967 referendum http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-vX5kNpyLU
Faith on the 1967 referendum http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzIMVo-_hag
This advertisement was for the 1967
Referendum.
What the 1967 referendum was about…
1. The 1967 Referendum proposed to include Aboriginal people in the census.
2. The 1967 Referendum proposed to allow the Commonwealth government to make laws for Aboriginal people.

4.



Under the Whitlam government,
Aboriginal communities were expected to govern themselves and decide how their communities would operate.
Government funding was made available to support Aboriginal communities whilst becoming independent.
Organisations such as ATSIC
(Aboriginal Torres Strait
Islanders Commission) were developed to support these policies.
Gough Whitlam’s speech… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdpVBHxpArI

NATIONAL AND
INTERNATIONAL FACTORS
THAT HAVE SUPPORTED
AND/OR LIMITED THE
INCREASING PUBLIC
AWARENESS AND
PERCEPTION OF
AUSTRALIAN INDIGENOUS
CULTURE


Reconciliation refers to
‘coming together’. As an
Australian Government policy it aims to achieve justice, recognition and healing.

It acknowledges past injustices.

It recognises Indigenous Australians as the FIRST
AUSTRALIANS.

Reconciliation can be seen in two ways:

SYMBOLIC (social justice – Eg. Sorry speech)

PRACTICAL (services – Eg. ‘Close the Gap’ program)

Excerpt of speech… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hh qAFLud228



This speech was given by Labor Prime Minister,
Paul Keating, on the 10th December 1992.
It was about placing Reconciliation at the on the national agenda and recognised past injustices...
“ The starting point for overcoming the problems besetting the first Australians was an act of recognition. Recognition that it was we who did the dispossessing. We took the traditional land and smashed the traditional way of life. We brought the diseases. We brought the alcohol. We committed the murders. We took the children from their mothers. We practiced discrimination and exclusion. It was our ignorance and our prejudice, and our failure to imagine these things being done to us.”






Introduced by the Howard Liberal Government in 2007 as the Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER)
In response to findings in the Little Children are Sacred report
Addressed the report’s concerns about sexual abuse and neglect of Indigenous children and argued that action be immediate
NTER included a range of policies including income management, health checks, ban on alcohol and pornography, quarantining 50% of welfare payments…
Continues in a revised form under Rudd/Gillard government.
Witness: NT Intervention (48 mins) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEgiX2NPx40

On John Howard’s Intervention Policy in Northern Territory
“You know, the whole aim here is not to condemn people for their problems. The whole aim is to support them, to get back on their feet again and to take charge of their own families again” Noel
Pearson – 7.30 Report 19.06.07
Fred Chaney, in his 2007 Vincent Lingiari Lecture (2007). Indigenous people will be subject to a level of micromanagement that is unprecedented elsewhere in Australian society. Chaney highlights the suspension of the provisions of the 1975 Racial Discrimination Act and the interference in
Indigenous property rights as being of particular concern. He highlights how the lack of meaningful consultation has almost guaranteed that there will be resistance (both passive and active) to the implementation of the policy.

•
•
•
•
•

The intervention in the Northern Territory has come under fire by a variety of groups. In short, the main criticisms of the intervention are as follows:
The intervention has created chaos, increased poverty and racism.
The intervention has not uncovered any paedophilia rings and no child sexual abuse cases have been prosecuted..
Only 2 of the 97 recommendations in the Little Children Are Sacred report were implemented
In order for the Federal government to implement the Northern Territory Emergency Response, suspension of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 was required making it legal to force communities to sign over control of Aboriginal land in 5 year leases, prohibit alcohol consumption and distribution in Aboriginal communities, control spending patterns through income management and store cards and take-over Aboriginal service-providers.
The United Nations has expressed concern over the suspension of the Racial Discrimination Act, writing to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in March 2009 following a complaint made to the UN by a collective of Aboriginal communities…

Updated Wed Feb 24, 2010 1:33pm AEDT
Australia will face the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva in September accused of racially discriminating against Indigenous communities during the Northern Territory intervention.
The final report of the UN's special rapporteur on
Indigenous rights, Professor James Anaya, found the intervention limits the rights and freedoms of
Indigenous people in breach of Australia's international obligations.
It follows similar preliminary findings during a visit to
Australia last year.
The report does not discuss the Federal
Government's planned changes to the intervention because they are not yet complete.
Professor Anaya says there is little evidence that measures such as welfare quarantining actually work, and he welcomes planned changes.

Watch the Apology on
YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch
?v=VF37rJHi4MQ



Given on 13 February 2008 by Labor Prime Minister, Kevin
Rudd.
A formally apology acknowledging the past injustices committed against Indigenous Australians,
In particular, it recognised the ‘stolen generations’, in response to findings in the Bringing them Home report.
”We apologise for the laws and policies of successive
Parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians.
We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country.
For the pain, suffering and hurt of these Stolen
Generations, their descendants and for their families left
behind, we say sorry.”



In 2007, the United Nations adopted the
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Australian Indigenous Peoples were involved in creating it

It is an important international step in protecting human rights when it comes to Indigenous People worldwide.
IN SUMMARY, IT INCLUDED POINTS ON THE FOLLOWING:

Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control



Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-selfgoverning or under any other limitation of sovereignty.
All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination

Ideology
Racial Superiority
Christianity
Equality
External Events
World Wars
United Nations
Human Rights
Charter
American Civil
Rights Movement
Factors influencing
Changing
Racial
Legislation
Internal Protest
Day of Mourning
67 referendum
Tent Embassy
Mabo
Political pendulum
Liberal vs Labor
Policy

















TEXT
Gontier, F. 2012. VCE Sociology Units 3 and 4 Textbook. SEV.
WEB www.picnicpt-h.schools.nsw.edu.au/.../ Government%20policies%20towards%20Aborigines.ppt http://www.artistwd.com/joyzine/australia/strine/a-2.php
http://daownunder.wordpress.com/2008/02/15/closing-the-gap http://www.greenleft.org.au/1998/339/20020 http://indigenousrights.net.au/document.asp?iID=263 http://www.mabonativetitle.com/info/austAbProgressiveAssoc.htm
http://www.kooriweb.org/foley/essays/essay_15.html
http://www.abc.net.au/civics/democracy/struggle.htm
http://www.seagp.org.au/documents/AboutUs/CloseTheGapTreePlanting.jpg
http://socialistalliance-brisbane.blogspot.com.au/2010/12/lies-that-built-northern-territory.html
www.mrsgraham.net/ Chaning%20Government%20policies%20on%20Aboriginals%20PP.ppt
http://cdn.lankajournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/John_Howard.jpg
independentaustralia.net