Ruqayyah Snyder
Indigenous Australians, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, have a long history of facing discrimination, violence, and human rights abuses. From colonisation onwards, Indigenous peoples in Australia have experienced land dispossession, forced assimilation, cultural suppression, and inhumane treatment, including sexual violence. Despite improvements in certain areas, such as the push for constitutional reform to include an Aboriginal voice in parliament, Indigenous Australians continue to face racism, stereotyping, and social issues, with ongoing debates surrounding national reconciliation and Indigenous rights.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Treatment by early Australians | Aboriginal people were beaten, killed, raped, and shot on sight by early Australians. |
| Treatment by the law | Aboriginal people were protected as British subjects under English Common Law, but discriminatory policies controlled many aspects of their lives, including denying equal wages, employment, and social welfare benefits. |
| Treatment by farmers | Farmers poisoned waterholes, gave Aboriginal people food mixed with arsenic, and flogged them. They also paid them very little or nothing at all. |
| Treatment of women | Aboriginal women were preyed on and sexually assaulted by white men. |
| Removal of children | Between 1915 and 1940, Aboriginal children were legally removed from their parents without consent or court hearings. |
| Health | Research in the late 1970s documented the extremely poor standard of Indigenous health, linking it to environmental and socio-economic factors. |
| Education | Aboriginal people had poorer access to education. |
| Housing | Aboriginal people had poorer access to housing. |
| Services | Aboriginal people had poorer access to services. |
| Stereotypes | Stereotypes such as being lazy, drunks, uneducated, and involved in too much crime are associated with Aboriginal people. |
| Current situation | Aboriginal Australians still face discrimination, including high incarceration rates, and the removal of children from their mothers. |
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What You'll Learn
Sexual violence and exploitation of Aboriginal women
Indigenous Australians, particularly women, have a long history of facing violent victimisation, sexual violence, and exploitation. During the colonial era, Aboriginal women were preyed on by white men, who exploited them sexually. In his book, historian Henry Reynolds writes, "On pastoral stations, Aboriginal women were preyed on by any and every white man whose whim it was to have a piece of 'black velvet' wherever and whenever they pleased."
Aboriginal women faced a lack of protection from the law, and their experiences were often not believed or prioritised. In some cases, they were even assaulted by police officers. The sexual violence and exploitation of Aboriginal women during colonisation have been documented in papers such as "Sexual Assault: Issues For Aboriginal Women" by Carol Thomas, which highlights the shocking extent of sexual violence experienced by Aboriginal women.
Even today, Aboriginal women experience violence at significantly higher rates than non-Indigenous women. They are 32 times more likely to be hospitalised due to family violence-related assaults and nearly 11 times more likely to die due to assault than non-Indigenous women. The problem is exacerbated by the underreporting of violence, with studies indicating that around 90% of violence against Indigenous women goes unreported. This can be due to a fear of not being believed, a lack of trust in authorities, and the risk of rejection within their communities if they speak out.
The ongoing issues of violence and exploitation faced by Aboriginal women in Australia highlight the need for better support and protection. There have been calls for reforms and improvements in human rights, with a national referendum proposed to change the Australian Constitution to include an elected Aboriginal voice in parliament. Additionally, the National Plan to End Violence against Women and their Children 2022–2032 recognises First Nations people as a priority group, aiming to reduce violence against Aboriginal women and children.
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Removal of Aboriginal children from their families
The removal of Aboriginal children from their families, also known as the Stolen Generations, was a widespread practice in Australia from the 1910s to the 1970s, and some argue that it continues today under the banner of child protection. The exact number of children removed is unknown, but it is estimated that between one in ten and one in three Indigenous children were taken from their families during this period. The removals were conducted under various government laws, policies, and practices, often justifying the action as being in the children's best interests and for their protection.
The Stolen Generations refer to the countless number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children forcibly removed from their families and communities. This practice resulted in the loss of cultural, spiritual, and family ties and has had a lasting and intergenerational impact on the lives and wellbeing of those affected. The children were often sent great distances from their homes and families, and many were informed that their families had abandoned or forgotten them. To assimilate into white society, the children were forbidden to speak their traditional languages or participate in cultural practices and activities, and they were given new names and identities.
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. In 1899, an express regulation was passed to permit the removal of Aboriginal children from their families. These actions were driven by the belief that the proliferation of mixed-descent children threatened the stability of the prevailing culture and the notion of a “pure blood” Aboriginal people dying out. The children were often placed in group homes, where they experienced neglect and various forms of abuse, including sexual and physical abuse.
The removal of Aboriginal children from their families has had a profound and lasting impact on the Aboriginal community. The Bringing Them Home report, published in 1997, detailed the laws, policies, and practices that enabled the removals and included case studies that contested the claim that removal was in the children's best interests. The report made 54 recommendations to redress the wrongs done to the Aboriginal community, including a key recommendation for an official acknowledgement of and apology for the forcible removal of children.
While some progress has been made, the issue of Aboriginal child removal is not solely historical. Research indicates that the number of Aboriginal children placed into Out-of-Home Care has increased in recent years, and Aboriginal children continue to be overrepresented in the child welfare system. This ongoing issue exacerbates the intergenerational trauma experienced by the Stolen Generations and their descendants.
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Inhumane incarceration rates of Aboriginal people
Aboriginal Australians have suffered from a violent historical relationship with the colonisers and continue to face institutional racism. They were subject to brutal treatment, including beatings, murder, rape, and sexual violence. The Australian government forcibly removed Aboriginal children from their families, resulting in what is known as the 'Stolen Children'.
Aboriginal people are significantly overrepresented in the Australian criminal justice system, constituting around 2% of the national population but making up approximately 27% of the prison population. This disparity is even more pronounced in Western Australia, where the incarceration rate of Indigenous people is nine times that of Apartheid South Africa. The rate of imprisonment for Aboriginal women is also alarmingly high, exceeding that of non-Indigenous men and women.
The high incarceration rates among Aboriginal people are attributed to various factors, including high levels of alcohol and substance abuse, lack of access to essential services, high unemployment, low educational attainment, and childhood trauma. Furthermore, Aboriginal people have been subjected to racial stereotypes that depict them as lazy, uneducated, and prone to criminal behaviour. These negative perceptions contribute to the discriminatory treatment they experience within the criminal justice system.
The cyclical nature of Aboriginal incarceration is evident, with a significant proportion of prisoners reoffending and returning to prison within a short period. This trend underscores the need for flexible sentencing options and community-based health and social services to address the underlying causes of offending behaviour.
While there have been calls for reform and efforts to improve the human rights situation, Aboriginal Australians continue to face resistance in having their rights recognised and respected. The Australian government has been urged to adopt a national action plan based on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to address the ongoing injustices faced by this community.
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Aboriginal people were shot on sight
Aboriginal Australians have suffered a violent history and ongoing institutional racism. The treatment of Indigenous Australians by early Australians has been described as brutal, with Aboriginal people beaten, killed, raped, and subjected to sexual violence.
In theory, Aboriginal people were protected as British subjects once English Common Law came into effect when the First Fleet arrived in Australia. However, this did not prevent them from being shot on sight. In November 1828, the Governor introduced martial law against Aboriginal people in the settled districts, effectively giving the military the power to shoot on sight any Aborigine found there. This often occurred secretly or was justified as retaliation for stealing livestock or killing a white man. For example, in 1827, 12 Gringai Aboriginal Australians were shot dead in reprisal for killing a convict who had shot one of their dogs. In another instance, Joseph Berryman, an overseer at Sydney Stephen's Murramarang land acquisition, shot dead four Aboriginal Australians, including an elderly couple and a pregnant woman, in retaliation for the spearing of some cattle.
Random shootings and massacres of Aboriginal men, women, and children were common. Professor Lyndall Ryan at the University of Newcastle has identified more than 170 massacres of Aboriginal people in eastern Australia between 1794 and 1872. During the early contact years, some 20,000 Aboriginal people were killed. In addition to shootings and massacres, Aboriginal people also faced poisoning of their waterholes and food rations, as well as being given flour, sugar, or damper mixed with arsenic. These practices continued into the first half of the 20th century in some parts of Australia.
The treatment of Aboriginal Australians has had lasting impacts, with ongoing issues of racism and human rights violations. Aboriginal children are still removed from their mothers and families, and there are high incarceration rates, particularly for Aboriginal children and young people, who are often held in inhumane conditions. Aboriginal Australians continue to face discrimination and resistance to their rights, including the right to have their own national indigenous body.
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Aboriginal people were paid less or not at all
The treatment of Indigenous peoples in Australia has been characterised by violence, discrimination, and human rights abuses. One aspect of this mistreatment is the economic marginalisation of Aboriginal people, who have historically been paid less or not at all for their labour.
During the early colonial period, Aboriginal people were often subjected to forced labour, with little to no remuneration. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Aboriginal people were extensively employed in the cattle industry, where they were grossly underpaid and subjected to inhumane working conditions. An investigation revealed that Aboriginal people on Lord Vestey's Northern Territory cattle station received poor rations and inadequate housing, water, and sanitation facilities. Their wages were below the minimum wage of five shillings a day set for Aboriginal people in a 1918 ordinance, while European males earned two pounds and eight shillings (48 shillings) a week in 1945.
The North Australian Workers' Union successfully fought for award wages for Aboriginal pastoral workers, but this led to the cattle industry phasing out Aboriginal labour and evicting Aboriginal communities from their traditional lands. Even when employed, Aboriginal workers faced discriminatory pay structures. Pastoralists convinced the Conciliation and Arbitration Commission to implement a 'slow worker clause', which allowed them to pay Aboriginal employees less than the standard wage when deemed less efficient, resulting in widespread abuse. Aboriginal workers on reserves were paid only 50% of the state minimum wage.
The underpayment of Aboriginal workers was not limited to the cattle industry. In 1986, the Queensland government was forced to make a $25 million payout to thousands of Indigenous people employed by previous governments on Aboriginal reserves between 1975 and 1986, who were paid under the award rate. This was the first time a Queensland government openly admitted responsibility for discrimination, and it marked the largest settlement by an employer in a discrimination case.
The economic marginalisation of Aboriginal people has had lasting impacts, contributing to their over-representation in lower-income bands today. In 2021, 35% of Indigenous adults lived in households in the bottom 20% of household income distribution, compared to 20% of non-Indigenous adults. Additionally, 43% of Indigenous adults had a gross weekly income of under $500, compared to 31% of non-Indigenous adults. The income disparity has significant implications for health and wellbeing, limiting access to quality food, housing, education, and healthcare.
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Frequently asked questions
Indigenous Australians were subjected to brutal treatment during colonisation. They were beaten, killed, raped, and shot on sight. Their waterholes were poisoned, and they were given food mixed with arsenic. They were also paid lower wages or not paid at all, and their children were removed from their families.
Indigenous Australians served in both world wars and played important roles. During World War I, Indigenous Australians were paid the same as other soldiers and were generally accepted without prejudice. However, after the war, they faced continued discrimination in areas such as education, employment, and civil liberties. During World War II, Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders received unequal treatment from authorities and were paid lower wages.
The Australian government has a history of enacting discriminatory policies that controlled various aspects of Indigenous peoples' lives, including employment, pay, and social welfare benefits. However, there have been some improvements over time. In the late 1960s, the government began introducing special Aboriginal health programs and training Aboriginal health workers. More recently, there is a push for a national referendum to change the Australian Constitution to include a democratically elected Aboriginal voice in parliament.
The treatment of Indigenous people in Australia has had a significant impact on their health. Research has linked the extremely poor standard of Indigenous health to environmental and socio-economic factors resulting from discriminatory policies and practices. Additionally, the removal of children from their families and communities has caused trauma and contributed to the breakdown of family structures.
Indigenous people in Australia continue to face issues such as racism, negative stereotypes, and institutional racism. They also experience higher incarceration rates and removal of children from their families. There is resistance to recognising the rights of Indigenous people, including their right to have their own national indigenous body.
