Lyla Lindsey
Aboriginal Australians have faced a long history of violent and discriminatory treatment at the hands of the Australian government and its predecessors. From the early days of British colonisation, which saw massacres, conflict, and infectious diseases that decimated the Indigenous population, to the more recent Stolen Generations, where Aboriginal children were forcibly removed from their families, the Australian government has played a significant role in the oppression of Aboriginal people. Despite some improvements, such as the 1967 referendum granting full voting rights to Aboriginal citizens, contemporary issues like incarceration rates, child removal, and systemic racism persist, highlighting the ongoing struggle for equal rights and treatment.
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What You'll Learn
Institutional racism and discrimination
Aboriginal Australians have faced a history of violent and racist treatment at the hands of the Australian government and its citizens. This treatment has been described as genocidal and has resulted in ongoing "institutional racism and discrimination".
One of the most well-known examples of this is the Stolen Generations, where children of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent were forcibly removed from their families by government agencies and church missions with the intent to eradicate Aboriginal culture. This occurred between 1871 and 1969, and in some places, children were still being taken in the 1970s. The 1915 amendments to the Aborigines Protection Act 1909 gave the New South Wales (NSW) government the power to remove any Indigenous child, leading to thousands of children being taken from their parents based on race alone.
Another example of institutional racism is the over-representation of Aboriginal people in the criminal justice system. As of September 2019, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults made up 28% of the total adult prisoner population in Australia. This is despite Aboriginal people only making up 3.2% of the total population of Australia as of 2021. Additionally, Aboriginal people are more likely to experience discrimination and unfair treatment in employment, with employed Indigenous Australians experiencing discrimination at work or when applying for work. They have also historically received lower wages than their non-Indigenous counterparts.
The treatment of Aboriginal people during colonisation was brutal, with many being beaten, killed, and raped by authorities. During the early contact years, it is estimated that 20,000 Aboriginal people were killed, and a smallpox epidemic spread for three years after the arrival of Europeans, contributing to the decline of the Aboriginal population.
While there have been some improvements in the treatment of Aboriginal Australians, such as the 1967 referendum that gave them full voting rights, there is still much work to be done to address the ongoing institutional racism and discrimination faced by this community.
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Incarceration rates
The treatment of Aboriginal Australians by the Australian government has been characterised by a "'violent history' and 'institutional racism', according to Aboriginal Australian activist and human rights lawyer Hannah McGlade. McGlade, who represents the Kurin Minang Noongar people, has said that her people "were violently dispossessed from their lands by the British and were basically enslaved".
The incarceration rate of Indigenous Australians is a significant issue. As of September 2019, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners represented 28% of the total adult prisoner population in Australia, despite Indigenous Australians only making up 3.2% of the total population.
The imprisonment rate for Indigenous Australians has been increasing. From 30 June 2023 to 30 June 2024, the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners increased by 15% to 15,871. The standardised imprisonment rate increased from 2,266 to 2,559 prisoners per 100,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults.
In the December 2024 quarter, the imprisonment rate was 2,733 persons per 100,000 adult Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. This was an increase from the previous quarter, with the male rate at 5,001 per 100,000 and the female rate at 526 per 100,000.
The high incarceration rate of Indigenous Australians is a result of systemic and institutional racism and discrimination, according to McGlade. She has said that the situation is "getting worse" and that Indigenous Australians are facing more incarceration, the removal of children, and higher rates of suicide.
The Australian government has recognised the issue of Indigenous over-representation in the criminal justice system. In 2017, the government committed to reducing the rate of Indigenous incarceration by at least 15% by 2031.
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Child removal
The treatment of Aboriginal Australians by the Australian government has been described as "institutional racism" by Aboriginal activist and human rights lawyer Hannah McGlade.
The removal of Aboriginal children from their families by the Australian federal and state government agencies and church missions is known as the Stolen Generations. This took place between approximately 1871 and 1969, with some removals continuing into the 1970s. The children removed were those of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent, and they were taken under acts of their respective parliaments. The exact number of children removed is unknown, but it is estimated that between one in three and one in ten children were separated from their families. This figure has also been estimated to be at least 100,000.
The removals were conducted due to the assumption that the full-blood tribal Aboriginal population would become extinct, and that mixed-race children could be trained to work in white society and eventually be assimilated. The Colony of Victoria was the first to pass acts (in 1869 and 1886) that allowed for the removal of mixed-race persons from Aboriginal reserves. An 1899 regulation also expressly granted permission for the removal of Aboriginal children from their families.
The removals were also a response to public concern over the increase in the number of mixed-race children and the sexual exploitation of young Aboriginal women by non-Indigenous men. The segregation of Indigenous Australians of mixed descent from "full-blood" Indigenous people began with the government removing children of mixed descent from their communities and placing them in church-run missions.
The Bringing Them Home Royal Commission report (1997) described the Australian policies of removing Aboriginal children as genocide. The report stated that the policy of removing mixed-race Aboriginal children from their mothers was related to the idea that any proliferation of mixed-descent children was a threat to the stability of the prevailing culture.
The issue of child removal is ongoing, with Western Australia having the highest rate of overrepresentation of Aboriginal children in out-of-home care of any state or territory in Australia. Aboriginal children in Western Australia are more than 20 times more likely to be living in out-of-home care than non-Indigenous children. The Department of Communities, which is responsible for out-of-home care in Western Australia, investigates families and removes children when they suspect harm is taking place or is likely to take place.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle grew from a grassroots community movement initiated by Aboriginal and Islander Child Care Agencies (AICCAs) during the 1970s. AICCAs strongly advocated for the best interests of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and aimed to abolish the harsh practices and policies of forced removal. The fundamental goal of the Principle is to enhance and preserve Aboriginal children's connection to their family, community, and sense of identity and culture.
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Employment discrimination
Aboriginal Australians have faced a long history of discrimination and unfair treatment in their own country. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal Australians of the mainland and many islands, including Tasmania, and the Torres Strait Islanders of the seas between Queensland and Papua New Guinea.
Aboriginal people face discrimination in a wide range of contexts, including employment, due to historical and systemic racism prevalent in Australian society. This discrimination can be direct or indirect and can occur at any stage of an individual's life. Employed Indigenous Australians were more likely to experience discrimination than those who were unemployed, and it has been found that the second most common source of unfair treatment (after members of the public) is at work or when applying for work.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Queensland had their income quarantined by the Protector and were allowed a minimal amount of their income. In 1966, Vincent Lingiari led the famous Wave Hill walk-off (Gurindji strike) of Indigenous employees in protest against poor pay and conditions.
Research from Diversity Council Australia (DCA) shows that First Nations people have faced increased levels of harassment and discrimination in the workplace. Early data from DCA's 2023 Inclusion@Work Index shows that exclusion of Indigenous Australians in the workplace has worsened, with 59% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander workers experiencing discrimination and/or harassment in the workplace in 2023, a 9% increase from 2021. By comparison, non-Indigenous respondents reported a small drop in levels of discrimination and harassment, with 22% reporting this type of exclusion in 2023 compared with 23% in 2021.
Similar trends appeared in everyday exclusion experiences, with 50% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander workers reporting sometimes, often, or always being ignored by people at work or being treated as if they didn't exist (compared to 24% of non-Indigenous workers). 49% reported sometimes, often, or always being treated with disrespect or in a way that made them feel uncomfortable (compared to 24% of non-Indigenous workers).
The Gari Yala report, based on a survey of 1,033 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander workers across Australia, reveals some shocking realities about experiences of racism, the lack of cultural safety, and identity strain experienced by Indigenous people across Australian workplaces.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are less likely to report sexual harassment due to discriminatory attitudes and cultural barriers. There is a lack of awareness of what constitutes sexual harassment and pathways for resolving it in the workplace. There is also a general distrust of reporting structures due to power imbalances and the lack of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in decision-making positions.
Representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at all levels of the organisation is important to create safe, respectful, and inclusive workplaces.
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Sexual violence
Aboriginal Australians have faced a violent history and continue to experience institutional racism and discrimination. While there have been some improvements, such as the proposed referendum to enshrine an elected Aboriginal voice in parliament, issues of violence and child abuse in Aboriginal communities persist.
Indigenous women in Australia are far more likely to experience violent victimisation and suffer more serious violence than non-Indigenous women. The problem of sexual violence against Indigenous women in Australia has been well-documented and recognised by the Australian government. In 2006, the Aboriginal Child Sexual Assault Taskforce was established to address the issue. Despite this, Indigenous women continue to face a heightened risk of sexual violence.
The history of colonisation and the dispossession of Aboriginal peoples from their lands have contributed to the ongoing impacts of trauma and violence in Aboriginal communities. The removal of mixed heritage children from Aboriginal communities, which occurred from 1871 to 1969, has had intergenerational effects, including contributing to the high rates of sexual violence in Aboriginal communities.
The high rates of incarceration of Aboriginal people and the over-representation of Indigenous Australians in the criminal justice system are also linked to the issue of sexual violence. Aboriginal women are more likely to come into contact with the criminal justice system due to sexual violence, either as victims or offenders. The failure to address the root causes of sexual violence in Aboriginal communities has led to ongoing cycles of trauma and violence.
Cultural factors also play a role in the high rates of sexual violence in Aboriginal communities. Aboriginal communities have unique cultural and social dynamics that can influence the experience and reporting of sexual violence. The impact of colonisation and the resulting loss of cultural identity have contributed to the breakdown of traditional social structures and protective factors within Aboriginal communities, increasing the vulnerability of Indigenous women to sexual violence.
Addressing sexual violence in Aboriginal communities requires a comprehensive approach that acknowledges the historical and cultural context. This includes increasing access to cultural healing practices, trauma-informed services, and community-led initiatives that empower Indigenous women and promote gender equality.
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Frequently asked questions
The treatment of Aboriginal Australians by the Australian government has been described as a "'violent history' of 'institutional racism'. During the colonial era, the British and Australian governments perpetrated massacres, frontier armed conflicts, and competition over resources with Aboriginal Australians, which led to a population collapse. The Aboriginal Australians were also subjected to infectious diseases, such as a smallpox epidemic, and experienced a decline in their population due to the removal of mixed heritage children from their communities for assimilation into white culture. During the Northern Territory cattle industry era, "flogging an Aboriginal was considered trivial", and Aboriginal workers were often unpaid or paid very little. They were also subjected to segregation until the 1960s.
The Stolen Generations refer to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who were forcibly removed from their families by Australian federal and state government agencies and church missions between 1871 and 1969. The goal of this practice was to eradicate Aboriginal culture. The 1915 amendments to the Aborigines Protection Act 1909 gave the New South Wales (NSW) Aborigines Protection Board the power to remove any Indigenous child, leading to the creation of the Stolen Generations.
The treatment of Aboriginal Australians by the Australian government has been described as a "human rights situation [that] is very dire". Aboriginal Australians continue to face discrimination and are over-represented in the criminal justice system. They also face issues such as the removal of children from their families and a lack of consultation on matters that affect them. However, there have been some improvements, such as the proposal for a national referendum to include an elected Aboriginal voice in parliament.
In the 2021 Australian Census, 812,728 people self-identified as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin, representing 3.2% of the total population of Australia. Of these Indigenous Australians, 91.4% identified as Aboriginal, 4.2% identified as Torres Strait Islander, and 4.4% identified with both groups.
