Australia and Indigenous People

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Recommended: Principles of inclusion and diversity

“From the surface one may look upon Australia as being the ‘lucky county’ however when explored deeper Kayleigh Richmond came to the conclusion that this so called ‘lucky country’ isn’t all that ‘lucky’ for marginalized groups in Australia, the literature of these marginalized groups in Australia certainly substantiates this point”.

Many sources of literature suggest that Australia is not considered the lucky country for migrants, indigenous and other marginalized groups of people living in Australian society. Privileged Australians would say that Australia is the ‘lucky country’ and for them it may be but it certainty isn’t for everyone. So, what makes Australia appear to be the unlucky country for marginalized groups in Australia? Is it the Australian Government that prioritises and praises the, so called, ‘privileged people’ or even just that their cultural values and attitudes differ from ours?

In the 18th century approximately 40,000 years before the European colonization, 750,000 to 1,000,000 indigenous people inhabited in Australia. These indigenous Australians were traditionally hunter having complex oral culture and spiritual values that were based on the admiration to the land and a belief in the dreamtime (Indigenous People Issues and Resources, 2014).

The Indigenous population rapidly declined as a result of disease, government policies and destruction of traditional life styles, now the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders comprise only 2.3% of the total population (Indigenous People Issues and Resources, 2014).

Australia is failing to ensure that the marginalized groups be educated. A recent news article by Manos Antoninis from Russell, an eight-grade Gamilori school teachers point of view suggesting, “The c...

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...ces. [ONLINE] Available at: http://indigenouspeoplesissues.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=24&Itemid=57. [Accessed 11 May 2014].

2. (Elms, 2004), Rabbit Proof Fence Review - WriteWork. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.writework.com/essay/rabbit-proof-fence-review. [Accessed 11 May 2014].

3. (Thomas, 1988), [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.austlit.edu.au/common/fulltext-content/pdfs/brn511542/brn511542.pdf. [Accessed 11 May 2014].

4. (Antoninis, 2014), Australia: Rich countries are also failing to ensure that the marginalized can learn | World Education Blog. [ONLINE] Available at: https://efareport.wordpress.com/2014/04/15/australia-rich-countries-are-also-failing-to-ensure-that-the-marginalized-can-learn/. [Accessed 11 May 2014].

5. (NRC, 2013). [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.nrc.no/arch/_img/9678735.pdf. [Accessed 11 May 2014].

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