Contemporary issues facing indigenous Australians
A historical perspective
The contemporary issues facing indigenous Australians originate from events and perspectives embedded in history. In 1788 the face of Australia was changed when European colonisers began to establish new settlements on Aboriginal lands. Since this time indigenous Australians have been subject to exploitation of labour, physical harassment, racism and various other forms of discrimination and social injustice (Elder, 2003). Some of the racism towards Aboriginal Australians stemmed from the belief of Social Darwinism. Social Darwinists believed that the law of nature was 'survival of the fittest;' that the white race was superior and that Aboriginal Australians were destined to die out because they had dark skin (Sutherland, 1888). People believed that indigenous Australians were inferior to the white race and treated them in accordance with this belief.
Contemporary issues
The inequality between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians has slowly decreased within the last few decades, however there still remains a large gulf in socioeconomic and health standards. In today's society, indigenous people have a lower life expectancy, poorer health, less educational opportunities and higher unemployment rates compared to non-indigenous Australians. Australian Bureau of Statistics data (2011) highlights how the percentage of non-indigenous students completing school to year 12 was more than double than that of indigenous students in 2008. This is one example demonstrating the imbalance between indigenous and non-indigenous people in completing high school education.
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Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (2011)
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Racism
Negative social attitudes towards indigenous Australians which began in the 1700's still exist today. A current advertisement by "Beyond Blue" highlights the subtle racism indigenous Australians may experience, whether it's been discriminated when applying for a job or hearing people make mindless and stereotypical jokes about their ethnicity. The clip delivers a powerful message about how discrimination and racism can lead to depression and anxiety. This may correlate with the suicide rates of indigenous females aged 15-19 being 5.9 times higher that those of non-indigenous females in the same group (ABS, 2010). Racism can have huge mental health impacts on people who experience it. By educating people to "stop, think and respect" this advertisement hopes to reduce racism towards indigenous people and ultimately reduce mental health problems.
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Beyond Blue advertisement
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Channel 7 news report
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Racism can be subtle, but it can also be forthright. In the final minutes of an AFL match of Sydney vs. Collingwood, indigenous Australian Swans player Adam Goodes was called an 'ape' by a young thirteen year old Collingwood fan. He took great offence to this racist comment and expresses how he felt like he was "in high school again, being bullied, being called all these names because of my appearance, " and explains that we need to "help educate society better so that is doesn't happen again." The contemporary issues facing indigenous Australians are very serious, which is why education is so important. By teaching young people indigenous perspectives and raising their awareness of issues facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people we can reduce racism and create a more just society. |