...Introduction This paper discusses how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) histories and cultures (“the histories and cultures”) can be incorporated into a Year 10 history classroom curriculum. The classroom curriculum is the practical unfolding of the formal, written curriculum between teacher and student. For incorporating histories, three overt, practical ways are discussed: role play, writing an Acknowledgement of Country and interpreting a movie which incorporates the perspectives of ATSIs. For incorporating cultures, the eight-way Aboriginal pedagogies outlined by Tyson Yunkaporta (2009a) are discussed along with how the classroom curriculum can be adapted to incorporate such cultural techniques. Indigenous history and culture...
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...Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are an integral part of Australia, both our history and culture, yet as a Non-Indigenous Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples often feel very foreign to me. My family is not of indigenous decent and I have little interaction with those who are, as such my views on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are shaped entirely from what I have learned at school, or have heard from people around me. This in the past has led to very narrow views and a complete lack of understanding about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. My local area does not contain much ethnic variation, so racism (although often subtle) is prevalent, growing up I never thought much about the...
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...Introduction The purpose of this report is to discuss the role social work practice can play in struggles over inequality and social justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) people. From day one, white man set foot on Australian soil, ‘invasion day’, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) peoples have endured multi-levels of inequality and social injustices. This report will examine one policy, social workers had a direct hand in enforcing, and the repercussions of the ATSI community from this and how it affects the way social workers, work with the community today. Analysis The first social injustice faced by ATSI peoples was the British terming the land ‘terra nullius”, meaning ‘nobody’s land’ (Bennett et al 2013,...
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...Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are significantly exposed to new cultural, social environment and life style in the past few decades. They also affect from a colonisation process that destroyed their culture, tradition, language, politics and economy (Holland, Dudgeon & Milroy, 2013). Their life has been changed suddenly and has devastating effect on their mental and health well-being. This essay will elaborate the reasons including social and cultural factors contributing significantly higher rate of mental illness and suicidal behaviour and mental health plans that the government has adopted to prevent self-harm and increase mental awareness. There have been a few researches conducted about Aboriginal people’s suicidal behaviour and self-harm. The definition of mental illness has been updated and a few times for the last 50 years on a regular basis (Parker &Milroy, 2014). Mental illness is also known as mental health disorder and it is very common in Australia. Mental disorders as defined by WHO (2016) is “comprise a broad range of problems, with different symptoms. However they are generally characterized by some combination of abnormal thoughts, emotions, behaviour and relationship with others. Examples are schizophrenia, depression, intellectual disabilities and disorders due to drug abuse.” Almost relatively half of the population in Australia suffered affective or substance use disorder and anxiety between the age from 16 to 85 in some stage of...
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...that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have a much lower life expectancy than the general Australian population. Indigenous Australians born in the period 1996-2001 are estimated to have a life expectancy at birth of 59.4 years for males, and 64.8 years for females. This is approximately 16-17 years less than the overall Australian population born over the same period. (AIWH, 2011) The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2011) has identified narrowing this differential in life expectancy as a priority in health policy. Primary health care is based on the central premise that prevention is better than cure. The primary health care sector is the most vital in early detection of disease and its risk factors, and preventing disease complications, thus minimizing the cost of health care provisions downstream. (Couzos & Murray, 2008, p29) Sutherland and St George Hospitals are working hard with the local Aboriginal community to promote and improve the health of Indigenous people. The Aboriginal Early Childhood Service – operating out of Menai – is available to mothers (Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal) of Aboriginal children from birth to five years of age. The service announced, by Maxine Brennan (2011) is called Narrangy-Booris, meaning ‘Little Children’ in the local Dharawal language. Since the commencement of the service 12 months ago, Narrangy-Booris has made exceptional inroads in ‘closing the gap’ to health services by helping connect Aboriginal families...
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...for the Common Good Reconciliation involves building mutually respectful relationships between Indigenous and other Australians that allow us to work together to solve problems and generate success that is in everyone's best interests. The process of Reconciliation formally began as a result of the Report of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody in 1991. The issue of Reconciliation is of great importance to common good because it helps avoid feelings of revenge, anger and hatred and a commitment to social justice as well as a way to ensure lasting peace and stability and to improve the relationship for the common good. Reconciliation aims to address the inequity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians that was introduced with the colonisation of Australia in 1788. Some relevant points around Reconciliation for the Common Good are, the referendum laws for Aboriginal people on May 27 1967, the report of the Royal commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody in 1991, as well as the Formal apology for the members of the stolen generations in 2008. Reconciliation for the common good was the referendum laws for Aboriginal people on May 27, 1967. It enabled Indigenous people to be included in the census, and it enabled federal parliament the power to make laws in relation to Indigenous people. This meant that Indigenous people and non-Indigenous people were all required to follow the same laws set out by the government, and that Indigenous people would be...
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...1966 – Wave Hill Walk-off The Wake Hill Walk-off was a strike by 200 Gurindji house servants, stockmen and their families at Wave Hill cattle station in the Northern Territory on August 1966. The Aboriginal pastoral workers first conveyed their misery with the poor working conditions and the disrespectful treatment. The next year the group moved to a significance place to the Gurindji people, Wattie Creek. Vincent Lingiari and Mick Rangiari asked Frank Hardy to make a sign which had the word “Gurindji” across it. This showed that their animosity was much deeper than the wages and working conditions. Despite that these people could not read, they understood the significance and power of the sign. 1967 – Referendum On the 27th of May 1967, the Holt Government approved two modifications to the Australian constitution associating to the Indigenous Australians. Australians voted to change the constitution to permit the commonwealth to construct respectful laws for the Indigenous people anywhere they lived in Australia. It also allowed them to include Aboriginal people and incorporate them in the national census. The results for the referendum vote was 94 per cent of Australians voted a strong yes, with an outstanding majority of votes in all 6...
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...Eddie Koiki Mabo Before I explain Who was Eddie Koiki Mabo? And What he did for Australia’s Indigenous people? I want all of you to know about Who are Australia’s Indigenous people? * An Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person is a person Of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent who Identifies as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and is Accepted by the community with which he or she is Associated. Now Who was Eddie Koiki Mabo? Eddie ‘Koiki’ Mabo was born on 29 June 1936, in the community of Las on Mer, known as Murray Island in the Torres Strait. His birth name was Eddie Koiki Sambo Raised by Uncle Benny Mabo through a customary ‘Island adoption At the Age of 16 Eddie was exiled from the Murray Island for breaking customary Island law and he set off for the mainland where a new life was waiting for him. Eddie had many jobs including assistant Teacher, a cane cutter and a ground keeper etc. Learned a lot about Australian Land ownership Laws in Townsville at James Cook University when he was a ground keeper their and he used to go there and spend a lot of time in the library At the age of 37 Eddie was shocked to discover that the Land which was passed by hi ancestors (16 generations) was not legally recognised his own, Instead of accepting this injustice In 1770 British visit Australia and declared the land was Terra Nullius. Terra Nullius is a Latin Expression Which means Land belongs to nobody. In early 1980’s a land...
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...“Eddie Koiki Mabo’s legacy for the nation, and especially for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, is extraordinary” (Loos and Mabo, 2013 p. xxi). This essay will explore the life of Eddie Mabo and the Mabo case as well as discussing the affect his life has had on Australia as an inclusive nation today. The life of Eddie Mabo was more than most. He paved the way for Indigenous Australians in relation to equality and land rights. He is responsible for the abolishment of Terra Nullius and for the implementation of Native Title through the High Court of Australia, thus changing the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders forever. Despite the many hardships he faced throughout his life, Mabo was never discouraged from achieving what he believed to be right, irrelevant of how hard or how long it would take. When Captain James Cook...
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...According to Queensland Health (2012) health services that are initiated, controlled and operated by the indigenous community have the potential to increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people accessing the appropriate available services. Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHO) such as Aboriginal Torres Strait Islanders Community Health Services Mackay (ATSICHS) provides holistic and culturally appropriate care. This highlights that access to health services, may be affected by a variety of socioeconomic factors, such as low income, unemployment, second-rate housing and also socio-political factors like forced removal from land and/or family. These factors need be addressed to achieve continuous improvement in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Queenslanders health status. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary health care services offer clinical care, screening programs, a wide range of preventative health care activities, health-related and/or community supported activities. Queensland Health (2010) focuses on the health status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, which acknowledges the significant gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Queenslanders (approximately 10.4 years for males and 8.9 years for females). Community involvement is a founding principle of the World Health Organisation (WHO) 1978 Alma-Ata primary health care declaration (WHO, 2013). A significant reason for community...
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...This assessment focuses on the issue of Hotel Laeta’s corporate social responsibility and its duty of care towards the Indigenous Australian people. Background Aboriginals Australians are technically the first people who lived in Australia. Australian Aboriginals were basically the hunters who used to eat the animals they caught and were also considered as gatherers of plants which could be eaten. Some of these groups then settled on the islands and are now called as Torres Strait Islander People. 1. Foundational Aspects of Indigenous Australian Cultures (the dreaming and economic organisation) The term dreaming is a spiritual or a regional perception which not only goes back to the creation of the events but it also grasps the present...
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...Introduction- The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation represents over one hundred and fifty Aboriginal communities across Australia (NAACHO 2014). NAACHO works with communities through using approaches such as planning, holistic approaches, policy development and implementation, aboriginal cultural integrity, and equity. “NACCHO represents local Aboriginal community control at a national level to ensure that Aboriginal people have greater access to effective health care across Australia” (NACCHO Summary 2004). These approaches help NAACHO to focus on the the health and wellbeing of Aboriginals to work towards the improvement of primary health care in Aboriginal communities. Research timeline – Topic sentence 1- The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation was established in 1992. It replaced the older organisation, National Aboriginal and Islander health organisation (NAIHO) which was officially recognised in 1976. The reasons for this change was that Torres Strait Islander people wanted to establish their own organisation purely focused on Torres Strait Islanders, and their fight for independence. Supporting details- – Previous organisation’s before NAACHO – Royal Commission into Aboriginal Death in Custody Report – Explain – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander...
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...dispossession, displacement and protectionist policies that denied Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people basic rights, separated families and entrenched discrimination and inequalities. Over the past centuries there have been many changes in the attitudes and rights regarding the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Despite the efforts by Australian government’s initiatives of ‘Closing the Gap’ in an attempt to address the inequalities between indigenous and white Australians there are still vast gaps in terms of socio-economic status, health care and welfare services, life expectancy, education, employment, housing ownership, land tenure and land rights. However, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people still experience an ongoing prejudice and discrimination as a marginalised minority group. Therefore, there is still a great deal of negativity that needs addressing in our society. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people still experience ongoing prejudice and discrimination as a marginalised minority group (Pedersen, Beven, Walker & Griffiths, 2004). Despite efforts by the government to address the inequalities, some Australian research finds a relationship between racism against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the belief that such views are shared by the wider population (Pedersen & Griffiths, 2002). It is suggested that many Australians believe that Aboriginal and Torres strait Islander people have the right to equity, but they are perceived...
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...Very few can say they were as imperative in the Aboriginal Rights Movement as Eddie Koiki Mabo was during 1962 to 1992. His significance is predominantly evident in the famous ‘Mabo vs State of Queensland’ case, however, he brought about much more to the table than just a change in Australian law. Throughout his life Mabo accomplished numerous feats for Aboriginal rights, such as serving as secretary for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advancement League (ATSIAL), campaigning for self-determination in Torres Strait communities and overturning two centuries of accepted Australian legislation. These accomplishments can be split into two groups, changes in society and changes in Government law. One example of change in society is the advancement and recognition of Indigenous people in Australian society. Mabo worked tirelessly to better his people in the community, this was by: exposing police brutality and racial discrimination against indigenous people, with a strong focus on the latter in...
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...impact on service delivery? As a staff working in a community services industry, sometimes we may find it is very difficult and frustrating to build an open and trusting relationships with people come from diverse backgrounds and vice versa. This is usually due to a lack of understanding about their cultural and historical backgrounds which might have a big impact on issues related to their social and emotional wellbeing and mental health. There are many cultural and historical factors that we (staff) need to acknowledge in order to work with CALD people as well as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. By having an insight understanding and knowledge of their history and its context, it is very helpful for us to identify the recent impacts they have on communities and how we can work with them. It is also undeniable that culture and history affects their present and future. Especially for the Aboriginal people, the history had given them many tough and bad experiences which may affect the way they perceive or interact with other people. What is cultural safety? According to William (1999), cultural safety is defined as :” An environment that is spiritually, socially and emotionally safe, as well as physically safe for people; where there is no assault challenge or denial of their identity, of who they are and what they need. It is about shared respect, shared meaning, shared knowledge and experience of learning together”. The “cultural safety” term is used as a...
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