Indigenous Australians Overview - Essay Example

Name of Student) (Name of Professor) (Subject/Course Title) 20 June 2007 INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS 1. Responding to comments in a social gathering (100 words each) 1.1. “Aboriginal people have just made a land claim over the whole of Perth. What’s to stop them from claiming my place?” Let us not be overly emotional on the issue of ancestral land claim of Aboriginal people. Remember that they are only claiming what is rightfully theirs. These lands are sacred to their culture, history and are part of their identity. Hence, it is only right that they put a claim to their culture and identity that have been stripped off them throughout history. Claiming your place, if it’s rightfully an ancestral land, is not about being greedy but about claiming one’s identity and culture. If we look at it this way maybe you will not be too antagonistic about it. 1.2. ‘It’s a good thing CDEP was abolished Aboriginal people don’t work anyway, it was just sit down money.” We cannot rightfully assume that Aboriginal people do not work. Remember they are 100% employed while they are still able to do their nomadic way of working such as hunting which is suitable to their way of life before. However, modernization has destroyed their ability to continue doing this kind of employment. Also, historically Aboriginal people are marginalized in terms of access to education and property which is important to prepare them and their future generation for gainful employment. Colonizers and previous governments made them rely on welfare instead of providing avenues for them to join mainstream employment and become productive. 1.3. “I agree with John Howard- why should Aboriginal people have their own separate government – we’re one nation after all and everybody should be treated equal- a level playing field I say!” You have a point in saying that we are one nation, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. On the other hand, we should look at it on a different perspective particularly on the issue of self determination of Aboriginal people. Having a government of their own and leading themselves is a fulfillment of the need of Aboriginal people for self determination. On the issue of equal treatment, Aboriginal people have never been treated equally in Australian society as what our history showed. They were marginalized, treated as domestic helps and have been made dependent on welfare curtailing their growth as productive sector. 1.4. “Aren’t things getting better for our Aboriginal people? We have Aboriginal students doing medicine and at University now.” Yes, it is true Aboriginal students are enrolled in Universities but it does not mean that they are generally better off now. The number of enrollees is still few compared to the number of Aboriginal students dropping off from school and end up in criminal custody. Just because a few represents Aboriginal people’s presence in Universities does not mean that their situations are better now than before. Many still face challenges of self determination, education access, and health access, among others to improve themselves. A lot still need to be done to make their life better equal to that of other Australians. 1.5. “Why are you doing that? Didn’t the Council for the Aboriginal Reconciliation fix it when it ended in 2001?” There are many issues that were not addressed prior to the ceasing of operation of the Council for the Aboriginal Reconciliation. In fact, the key eight issues identified by the Council as crucial to reconciliation process have not been fully addressed particularly in the areas of social justice and human rights. Until these issues have been resolved there will still be a large disparity in the status of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in Australia. The Council limits its achievements to public education and consultation not on implementing protective measures for the equal rights of Aboriginal people to their cultural heritage. 2. Write a 500 word statement on cultural competence. Why it is an important skill and how can it be useful in your future career or profession? Cultural competence in Australian society refers to the ability of non-Aboriginal Australian to relate and provide effective services to Aboriginal Australians in a manner that is not discriminatory. Instead the provision of services and manner of communication is supportive to the plight of Aboriginal Australians hence helping them improve themselves by addressing the root of their problem in a manner acceptable to their heritage and culture. To do this, one must be knowledgeable of the culture practiced by Aboriginal Australians. Cultural competence is an important skill particularly for people working in the fields of politics, social work, education and health care. The provision of services in these fields must be carried out with the right approach to cultural competence particularly in dealing with Aboriginal Australians. Professionals in these fields can better understand on how to approach the provision of services to this sector if they themselves understand the cultural dynamics interplaying in the sector they are servicing. Cultural dynamics refers to values, customs, traditions, and history, among others, of a community. Professionals who understand these cultural dynamics avoid relating to cultural sectors in a biased and generic approach, hence appropriate services are designed based on this knowledge of their culture. It consequently results to better service provision and better program outcomes. Having the skill of cultural competence helps a professional understand beneficiaries of services better. They will become more sensitive to the specific needs of the culture they are servicing. In a way, they are encourage to service specific individuals than generalize communities by knowing their individual specific needs that need to be addressed in light of their cultural traits. Thus, the service or the intervention provided to them is culturally acceptable and therefore more effective to generate results. Relating this to responding to the issues of dealing with Aboriginal Australians, cultural competence is necessary for people within and outside the government to address to it. Culturally competent people will understand the need of Aboriginal Australians for self-determination, why they are claiming ancestral lands and why previous and current programs do not respond to their intrinsic needs. Culturally competent professionals’ response to these issues will be much more of an open minded manner which is necessary for dialogues or discussions with various Aboriginal Australians and other parties related to their cause. Tackling the issues at hand in an open minded manner, professionals will delve on salient issues and focus more on proper and equal resolution instead of approaching the discussion and analysis of the issue in a debatable manner. Trust can easily be gained when the issue on Aboriginal Australians is handled in manner that is culturally competent. It results to a smoother working relationship with them consequently resulting to a hand and hand team up in resolving issues related to Aboriginal Australians. The government will not easily dismiss as exaggeration and unpatriotic their clamor for self-determination. It only needs a better understanding of their history to understand this clamor and resolve it in a manner that benefits both parties. 3. Reconciliation may be seen as symbolic, practical or a combination of both. Which of these positions would you support, and why? Please provide evidence from your readings on the topic. (500 words) Reconciliation is both a combination of symbolism and practicality for today’s Australian society. It is a symbolism of acceptance of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians for each other to exist within the same society given their differences in culture and way of life. Hence, there is no more a dichotomy of Australians in terms of equal access to opportunities. The creation of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation symbolizes the government’s acceptance of the cultural rights of Aboriginal people in the society of Australia. The mere creation of this Act symbolizes the government’s support for the reconciliation process. The creation of Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation further signifies the acknowledgement that “Australia was occupied by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for thousands of years before British settlement at Sydney Cove on January 26, 1788” (Preamble of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation Act, 1991). This recognition that Aboriginal people are the first settlers of Australia symbolizes the acceptance of Australian government that Aboriginal people have the right to claim their heritage that befits their existence. Thus, they have the right to be heard for any claims that they might lodge with the Australian government. Reconciliation is practical in a sense that it is the best approach than creating a divide within Australia by creating a separate government for Aboriginal people. Doing the latter will further divide Australia that might create a crisis involving claim on natural resources and political relations. It is most practical to go into the process of reconciliation to unite the country divided between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. Instead, using the process of reconciliation, Aboriginal people can govern their own state in areas where population is enough to create one full state with a governing body. This move will recognize the ability of Aboriginal people for self-governance which is a prerequisite to Aboriginal people’s self-determination. Applying this approach is practical in integrating Aboriginal people to mainstream economic and political activity with themselves initiating such integration. There is nothing more empowering to Aboriginal people than be given the ability to handle their own government affairs such as taxation, health, education, social welfare and peace and order but still within the auspices of the Australian parliamentary government. Part of the practical approach to reconciliation is allowing representatives of Aboriginal people to have a seat as members of the parliament. Giving this opportunity to them requires introduction of supporting measures to equip Aboriginal people to participate in parliamentary government mainly through access to education which consequently require interrelated provision of basic social services such as access to health services and employment, among others. Reconciliation is both a symbolism and a practical approach to resolving the issue of Aboriginal sovereignty and integration into Australian society. There is no better way to resolve this issue than going through the process of reconciliation. It is high time that we recognize the integrative and historical role of Aboriginal people in Australia. Empower them and make them useful members of Australian society instead of encouraging migrants to Australia. 4. Discuss the following statement in relation to the concepts of self-determination and the politics of control. Illustrate your answer with examples from the reading. 4.1. “Sadly, too many Indigenous Australians are not leading independent lives. They are not sharing the opportunities and choices. The standard of health and low life expectancy are unacceptable. Too many are trapped in an intergenerational cycle of dependency, a welfare trap that needs to be broken” (Brough 2006) “Indigenous people have the right to self determination in accordance to international law….. they have the right to negotiate and agree upon their role in the conduct of public affairs, their distinct responsibilities and the means by which they manage their own interests” (International Law and Draft Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous People). However, Indigenous Australians have not achieved this right to self-determination recognize by international law. Instead, the Liberal Party of Prime Minister Howard espouses self-management of Aboriginal people which is not exactly parallel to self determination. The Community Development Employment Project (CEDP) for one only allows aboriginal communities to manage government funds to administer employment of Aboriginal people which is actually another form of welfare dependency. Welfare dependency has been used as an approach by other governments in the history of existence of Aboriginal people in Australia to control them and prevent them from evolving as empowered citizens of the country. Instead, it has led them to a cyclical existence of dependence towards the government for their subsistence. Thus, they have become marginalized sector in the society where access to basic human needs such as education and health services is difficult. The lack of access to basic health services results to lower life expectancy among Aboriginal children which also affects their abilities to stay in school. Added to this burden is the lack of employment opportunities for adult Aboriginal people to earn a decent income to fed their families and send their children to school without the aid of the government. In the end they cannot help to either integrate themselves into the welfare system of the government for unemployed people or participating under an employment program as part time employees resulting to lower income generation that will not be enough to support basic needs of their families. Thus, it is imperative to break the cycle of welfare independence as the first step to empowering Aboriginal Australians towards self-determination. Give them the opportunity to education to increase their opportunity to avail of higher earning jobs in mainstream employment sector. In doing so, you are breaking the cycle of illiteracy and criminal custody among Aboriginal Australians. Supporting services must be equally provided to ensure the continuous empowerment of Aboriginal Australians such as access to information and social and health services. It is much better if these services are facilitate or implemented by fellow Aboriginal Australian themselves. For who will know what is the best approach to service Aborigines than those who live and breathe their lives. Thus, it is crucial that Aboriginal Australians be integrated into political participation by having their own political sovereignty but still within the auspices of the Australian government. Letting them participate in the political process is a crucial step to breaking the cycle of welfare dependency or political control of Aboriginal Australians. Participating in the decision process will empower them to pursue higher education and challenge themselves to stay in school and better themselves to become fit to rule over their fellow Aboriginal Australians. Read More