Damon Mcknight
Aboriginal Australians are the direct descendants of the eastern wave, who left Africa up to 75,000 years ago. They are possibly the oldest population of humans living outside of Africa, and they may have the oldest continuous culture on the planet. Aboriginal Australians are made up of many distinct groups, each with their own culture, customs, language, and laws. They are spread across Australia, with almost three-quarters of the Aboriginal population living in New South Wales, Queensland, and Western Australia. The Northern Territory has the highest proportion of Aboriginal people relative to its total population size.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people | 984,000 (3.8% of the total Australian population) |
| States with the largest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population | New South Wales (339,700), Queensland (273,100), Western Australia (120,000) |
| States with the highest proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people relative to total population size | Northern Territory (30.8%), followed by New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia |
| Median age of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population | 24 years |
| Proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population under 15 years of age | 33.1% |
| Number of distinct Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language groups | 250 |
| Number of languages still in use | 123 |
| Number of languages spoken fluently by all generations within a community | 12 |
| Number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who reported speaking their language in 2021 | 76,978 |
| Percentage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living without two or more essentials for a decent standard of living | 40% |
| Median personal income of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples compared to non-Indigenous peoples | 60% less |
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What You'll Learn
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 3.8% of Australia's population
- New South Wales has the largest Aboriginal population
- The Stolen Generations: Aboriginal children forcibly removed from families by government agencies
- Aboriginal Australians are recognised as the world's oldest surviving culture
- Aboriginal Australians have faced discrimination and hardship due to colonisation
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 3.8% of Australia's population
Aboriginal Australians are possibly the oldest culture outside of Africa, with a history dating back to around 50,000 years ago. They are genetically most closely related to other Oceanians, such as Papuans and Melanesians, who are collectively referred to as "Australasians".
As of 2021, there are approximately 984,000 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Australia, representing 3.8% of the total Australian population. This percentage may be higher, as First Nations people are undercounted in census data. Almost three-quarters (74.5%) of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population live in New South Wales, Queensland, and Western Australia. The Northern Territory has the highest proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people relative to its total population size (30.8%), while Victoria has the lowest (1.2%).
The median age of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is 24 years, with a younger age structure than the non-Indigenous population. This reflects higher birth rates and lower life expectancy in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. Additionally, 40% of this population live without two or more essentials for a decent standard of living, such as housing, clean water, and food. This is in comparison to 11% of other people born in Australia.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have faced significant challenges throughout history, including the Stolen Generations, where children were forcibly removed from their families by the Australian government and church missions to eradicate Aboriginal culture. Despite these hardships, they maintain strong connections to their culture, language, and traditional lands, contributing significantly to Australia's environmental management, economic development, and cultural identity.
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New South Wales has the largest Aboriginal population
New South Wales (NSW) has the largest Aboriginal population in Australia. In 2021, 278,043 people identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander in the state, making up 3.4% of the NSW population. This is an increase from 2.9% in 2016 and 2.5% in 2011. The greatest concentration of the Aboriginal population in NSW is in the western and southwestern areas of Sydney, although the highest proportion of the Aboriginal population (around one-fifth) is in western NSW.
The median age for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in NSW has increased over the last decade. In 2021, the median age was 23 years, up from 22 years in 2016 and 21 years in 2011. The proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 75 years and over in 2021 was larger than in 2011 (2.0% compared to 1.3%). The median equivalised total household weekly income for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander households in NSW was higher than the national average in 2021 ($860 compared to $830).
In terms of housing, in 2021, most (87.5%) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in NSW lived in appropriately sized dwellings, with no extra bedrooms needed. The top five areas with the greatest proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in NSW in 2021 were the Central Coast, Blacktown, Lake Macquarie, Shellharbour, and Port Stephens.
Prior to European settlement, relatively dense populations of Aboriginal people lived close to the rich resources of the coast in NSW, and other groups concentrated around the major inland rivers. There are no accurate estimates of the Aboriginal population at the time of European settlement, but a figure of about 100,000 has been suggested for the area that would become NSW. These people lived in approximately 70 tribal or language groups.
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The Stolen Generations: Aboriginal children forcibly removed from families by government agencies
Australia is home to approximately 984,000 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, representing 3.8% of the total Australian population. The Northern Territory has the highest proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people relative to total population size (30.8%).
The Stolen Generations refer to the countless Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who were forcibly removed from their families and communities through government policies. This occurred from the mid-1800s to the 1970s, with some sources stating that it continued beyond this period. The removals were sanctioned by various government policies and based on assimilation policies, which claimed that the lives of Aboriginal people would be improved if they became part of white society. The children were denied access to their families, communities, and cultures and were taught to reject their Aboriginal heritage in favour of white culture. They were often forbidden from speaking their traditional languages and participating in cultural practices, and many were given new names and identities.
The removals were justified by the government, claiming that it was for the protection of the children and that it would save them from a life of neglect. Another justification was based on the belief that "pure-blood" Aboriginal people would die out, and that the "mixed-blood" children would be able to assimilate into society more easily. From 1869, children under 12 years of age with 25% or less Aboriginal blood were considered "white" and were often removed from their families.
The children were placed in over 480 institutions, adopted, or fostered by non-Indigenous people, where they often experienced abuse and neglect. Many of these children were sent vast distances from their families and communities to increase the success of the removal policies. The impact of these policies is still felt today, with the children, grandchildren, and future generations of the Stolen Generations experiencing disconnection from their extended families and culture, as well as high levels of stress, known as Intergenerational Trauma.
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Aboriginal Australians are recognised as the world's oldest surviving culture
The isolation of the Aboriginal people in Australia has contributed to their distinct and ancient culture. The Aboriginal people became genetically isolated around 58,000 years ago, and Australia itself was isolated by rising sea levels around 10,000 years ago. This geographical isolation meant that the Aboriginal people had little to no interaction with outside cultures until the arrival of Makassan fishermen and Dutch explorers within the last 500 years.
The Aboriginal people have a deep connection to the Australian continent and the broader Asian region. They have developed diverse and unique cultures, with knowledge of pre-colonial Aboriginal societies largely dependent on interpretations by observers through a colonial lens. Some Aboriginal people identify as saltwater, freshwater, rainforest, or desert peoples, showcasing the variety of environments in which they have thrived.
The Aboriginal people have faced significant challenges throughout their history, including discrimination, the seizure of land, and the forcible removal of children under the guise of "assimilating" them into white communities. Despite these hardships, they have maintained strong connections to their culture, language, and traditional lands, playing an essential role in shaping Australia's cultural identity.
The rich history of the Aboriginal people is evident in their oral traditions as well. There are stories describing sea-level rise 7,000 years ago, volcanic eruptions, and meteor strikes, with scientific evidence supporting the accuracy of these oral accounts. These stories, passed down through generations, showcase the longevity and resilience of Aboriginal culture.
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Aboriginal Australians have faced discrimination and hardship due to colonisation
Aboriginal Australians have a long and proud history, possibly representing the oldest continuous culture on the planet. However, their history is also one marked by discrimination and hardship, much of which can be attributed to the impacts of colonisation.
Colonisation brought about violent dispossession of land, with Aboriginal Australians being removed from their ancestral homes and forced to assimilate into colonial society. This process was often violent, with those who resisted being incarcerated or even dying in prison. The removal of children from their families, as part of a policy of assimilation, was also widespread and had a devastating impact on Aboriginal communities. These practices continued well into the 20th century, with the 'Stolen Generations' referring to those children of Aboriginal descent who were forcibly removed from their families by government agencies and church missions between approximately 1871 and 1969.
Racism and discrimination have also played a significant role in the hardships faced by Aboriginal Australians. Place names across Australia often reveal a history of discrimination, such as Mount Jim Crow in Rockhampton, Queensland, and Boundary Streets in Brisbane, which once indicated boundaries that Aboriginal people were not allowed to cross during certain times of the day. Aboriginal Australians have also faced systemic racism in the form of discriminatory laws and policies. For example, until the 1970s, children with less than 25% Aboriginal blood were considered "white" and were often removed from their families to be "absorbed" into white communities.
The impacts of colonisation and discrimination are still felt today. Aboriginal Australians continue to face issues such as the removal of children from their mothers, high incarceration rates, and poverty. They also experience poorer health and socioeconomic outcomes compared to non-Indigenous Australians, with racism being identified as a key determinant of health. Furthermore, there is a lack of recognition of the hardships endured by Aboriginal Australians, with few memorials acknowledging the widespread massacres that occurred during colonisation.
Despite these ongoing challenges, Aboriginal Australians have actively advocated for their rights and worked to preserve their culture and connection to their traditional lands. Efforts are also being made to address the health and socioeconomic inequalities between Aboriginal and non-Indigenous Australians, with racism being recognised as a critical factor in these disparities.
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Frequently asked questions
There are six states in Australia where Aboriginal people live: New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, Victoria, Northern Territory, and Tasmania. However, Aboriginal Australians are not confined to these states, and they are considered the world's oldest surviving culture.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, there were 983,700 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia as of June 2021, representing 3.8% of the total Australian population.
The legal definition of an "Aboriginal Australian" is "a person of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent who identifies as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and is accepted as such by the community in which he [or she] lives."
