Page 12 - Indiginous Australians

Mary Alp
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This official situation lasted for many years.
The exclusion from the census was overturned with the 1967 Referendum when support campaigns by both Indigenous Australians & non-Indigenous Australians, saw the Indigenous people included in the census for the first time. Similarly, the long campaign for voting rights lasted until 1962 when, like other citizens, voting
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Broome states that -‘white racism underpinned colonialism, which in turn induced a cycle of poverty in Aboriginal people’. Indigenous people were seen in low status jobs such as farm & domestic workers well into the 60s & were paid below the award wage, or in kind with beef, flour & grog. With kinship obligations to fulfill, this situation stretched the little they had & often resulted in poor
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wellbeing & identity
Assimilation Policies often resulted in trauma. On an everyday level this government control was apparent in the form of segregation policies – I ‘m sure many of us remember the days when people were divided according to the colour of their skin. (My experience was at Derby with segregation in most areas). Charlie Perkins Freedom Rides of the 1960 exposed this situation in country NSW.
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became compulsory for Indigenous people.
Beyond Blues 2015 report.
Similarly, the very public 2015 racial vilification of
. As mentioned before, the effects of Protection &
education & health issues etc.
This historical racism whether overt or subtle does effect Aboriginal social & emotional wellbeing – Aboriginal identity - & is still alive & well as noted by
the footballer Adam Goodes, & journalist Stan Grant’s 2018 passionate anti-
racism speech titled -‘Racism is Destroying the Australian Dream ’- also highlights
35 Wikipedia, White Australia Policy; ‘A White Australia’, in Australians Together’ (sources used are gov etc.); SBS Aug 2017, ‘Australia is racist – but not in the way you think’, pp1-5; aiatsis.gov.au,’ Aboriginal natives shall not be counted;’ aph.gov.au ‘The Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia & Indigenous Peoples 1901 – 1967;
36 The Guardian, Feb 2015, ‘Freedom Ride: Revisiting the dip in the pool that changed a segregated town’
37 SBS.com, ’Timeline- Indigenous rights movement’, pp2-4; The Conversation May 2017 ‘Right wrongs, write Yes’. 38 R. Broome 2019 pp 180-184.
39 Beyond Blues, 2015 – ‘Invisible Discriminator campaign’ ‘Discrimination stops with you’.
40 View of Stan Grant’s, ’Racism is Destroying the Australian Dream’ speech, NEW: emerging scholars in Australian Indigenous studies, pp1-4; ABR Elizabeth Jolley short Story Prize, Essays – ‘On Identity by Stan Grant & Australia Day by Stan Grant. Reviewed by Bruce Pascoe 2019; Stan Grant in Quarterly Essay, ‘The Australian Dream’.
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agree with. The former human rights commissioner Gillian Triggs while she herself
this discrimination.
I’m aware here that this is not a position everyone would