Before Bristish Invasion, Aboriginal people lived a self suffient life.The land provided everything they needed to survive, and included the spiritual and cultural aspects of life.The invasion and subsequent colonisation of the country saw wholesale dispossession of Aboriginal people from the land.Their lives continued under government control until the abolition of the Aborigines Welfare Board in 1969. Even then little changed until the election of the Labor Party to government in 1972.
When the Bristish arrived they needed land to grow crops and land to set up penal colony. The British had no idea the environment of Australia was delicate and that the crops and animals they bought would damage it forever.
Beaten by diseases, guns, massacres and the number of immigrants arriving in Australia, Aboriginal people were subjected to colonisation and other various government polies, laws and actions. This changed Aboriginal ways of life for ever.
The early policy of Protection saw aboriginal peolpe taken away rfom their lands nad put on missions and reserves on the outskirts of towns.Often many groups were forced to live together causing friction.
They relied on rations of food and no opportunity for employment, they had no access to their land.
Later the policy of assimilation was introduced with the intention of forcing aboriginal peolpe to renounce their Aboriginality and think and act like white people.This may have improved their standard of living if they were given the same opportunities and rights as non Aboriginal people, but they were not Australian citizens and therefore not treated as such.
In 1967 Aboriginal peolpe were given citizenship rights. In 1972, the Labor party, which was elected to government that year, introduced the ploicy of Self -Determination, this meant that peolpe were given the opportunity to make their own decisions about their future.
When self- Determination was introduced , it meant that there was a separate Department of Aboriginal Affairs to deal with Aboriginal issues.
Land Rights was a key issue on the governements agenda, Aboriginal organisations run by aboriginal people were funded and later anti discrimination and equal opportunity laws were implemented.
The mosr important avenue of self Determination was seen by many to return the land to aboriginal people.Land Rights became a key issue for Aboriginal people and while some had been granted, many were still without access to their land.Statistics show that Aboriginal people are still most disadvantaged group in all aspects of life and this needs addressing if Reconciliation is to be successful.
Questions
1.After reading this passage cloze activity filling in the missing gaps e.g
Before Bristish Invasion, Aboriginal people were.........
2.What greatly improved Aboriginal lives?
3.What do Aboriginal organisations do?
4. meanings of words such as Land Rights, Seld Determination, Aboriginal Affairs.
