Both life and it’s working conditions during the time of the changing of centuries was challenging and harsh throughout Australia. This is quite a drastic change to the Australia that is known today. Despite the hardships Australia still had it’s reputation and title throughout the 19th century of bliss, known as a ‘working man’s paradise’. This title was based on the offerings that Australia gave to it’s “workers” opposed to Europe's working options. The question is then asked was this ‘Working man’s paradise” a triumph or tragedy. Australia’s “Workingman's paradise” was a phrase used by colonial politicians and employer groups to attract workers to the colonies that made up Australia in the 1800s. It is the ideal place of work, where the …show more content…
A racial hierarchy had made it’s way into the Australian lifestyle. A white Australia point of view was taken from the British, back from when they first settled in Australia (1788). The white settlers had immediately “formed racist beliefs about the Aboriginal people.” British superiority and culture was spread through literature and teachings to young children in school, so from a young age children were taught who was “in charge”, this was done so young children feared Aboriginals and felt superior to them from a young age. Unbeknownst to these children, the Aboriginals were the original land owners and custodians. The British took their land thinking it was “terra nullius”however upon arriving the Aboriginals and white settlers were courteous with each other, but it was not long before “cultural misunderstandings began to arise”. Indigenous Australian children were ripped away from their families, whilst others were forced to have children with white people to eliminate the race and culture all together, to make Australia an all white nation. Aboriginals like other non white Europeans didn’t have the same working opportunities or the benefits of the basic wage. Aboriginals were not entitled to vote and were taken off any voting rolls. They were treated with disrespect and …show more content…
It was based of workers and their under payment and rights, the case was largely built around workers having enough to pay for the expenses of their own life and their families. Henry Bournes Biggins was the president of the Court at the time and he took it to himself to work out the minimum the average worker with a wife and three children would need to support their family. Factors like food, transport, fares, clothing and life insurance were all taken into consideration. In conclusion it was decided that the basic wage would consist of 42 shillings ($4.20) would be enough for the average family to make it through a week, or seven shilling a per day. For an unskilled man this was the minimum that he and his family could live on. In the end Australian workers were at a much higher advantage than those in other countries, they received the basic wage, eight hours of work a day, pension after 65 years of age, assistance if unable to work and annual dental check ups for children. Despite all these advantages it still had its criticisms. Women were not covered by the basic wage. They were still paid much less than the 42 shillings that men received, they were earning 54 percent of a man's wage even if they were working in the exact same job. This was a big step in the right direction for Australia. For
- What/how does it tell us about living in Australia during times past? (100 - 150 words)
In Reading Tim Wintons hopeful saga, Cloudstreet, you are immersed in Australia; it is an important story in showing the change in values that urbanisation brought to Perth in the late 1950’s such as confidence and pride. But it was also a very anxious and fearful time period in terms of the Nedlands Monster and his impact in changing the current comfortable, breezy system Perth lived in. The role of women changed significantly with more women adopting more ambitious ideologies and engaging in the workforce something never seen before. But most of all it was important because it changed Australia’s priorities as a nation, it shaped the identity of individuals that we now see today, and it created a very unique Australian identity.
Maestro by Peter Goldsworthy provides an insight into 1960s/70s Australia and helps reinforce common conceptions about Australian culture. One common conception Goldsworthy reinforces in this text is Australia’s increasing acceptance of multiculturalism. Maestro, set in the 1960s to 1970s, shows Australians growing more accepting and tolerant of other cultures. This shift in perspective was occurring near the end of the White Australia/Assimilation Policy, which was phased out in the late 1970s/early 1980s. An example of this shifted perspective in Maestro is Paul’s father’s opinion about living in Darwin:
First, class has determined inequality in labor market, because labor market is directly linked with the main source of income for most people, which provides everyday purchase on food, clothing, transport and housing. In Australian labor market, a large number people are employed in middle working class, for example sales, clerical or service job. However, there are a few people working in the top occupations, such...
Reynolds, H. (1990). With The White People: The crucial role of Aborigines in the exploration and development of Australia. Australia: Penguin Books
...ed on Australia's working women and Oodgeroo Noonuccal's life is featured as one of the exhibitions. The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Literature in English wrote, "Overall her work, and life, was a passionate and articulate expression of wrongs inflicted upon Australian Aboriginal people and of the Aboriginal's indomitable will not only to survive but to flourish." Oodgeroo's seemingly timeless popularity is a testament to both her survival and her prosperity.
Gard, S. (2000). A history of Australia. The Colony of New South Wales. South Yarra: MacMillan Education Australia Pty Ltd.
The assimilation policy was a policy that existed between the 1940’s and the 1970’s, and replaced that of protectionism. Its purpose was to have all persons of aboriginal blood and mixed blood living like ‘white’ Australians, this established practice of removing Aboriginal children (generally half-bloods) from their homes was to bring them up without their culture, and they were encouraged to forget their aboriginal heritage. Children were placed in institutions where they could be 'trained' to take their place in white society. During the time of assimilation Aboriginal people were to be educated for full citizenship, and have access to public education, housing and services. However, most commonly aboriginal people did not receive equal rights and opportunities, for example, their wages were usually less than that paid to the white workers and they often did not receive recognition for the roles they played in the defence of Australia and their contribution to the cattle industry. It wasn’t until the early 1960’s that expendi...
Within Australia, beginning from approximately the time of European settlement to late 1969, the Aboriginal population of Australia experienced the detrimental effects of the stolen generation. A majority of the abducted children were ’half-castes’, in which they had one white parent and the other of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. Following the government policies, the European police and government continued the assimilation of Aboriginal children into ‘white’ society. Oblivious to the destruction and devastation they were causing, the British had believed that they were doing this for “their [Aborigines] own good”, that they were “protecting” them as their families and culture were deemed unfit to raise them. These beliefs caused ...
Key events in Aboriginal Australian history stem from the time Australia was first discovered in 1788. For instance, when Federation came into existence in 1901, there was a prevailing belief held by non Aboriginal Australians that the Aborigines were a dying race (Nichol, 2005:259) which resulted in the Indigenous people being excluded from the constitution except for two mentions – Section 127 excluded Aborigines from the census and Section 51, part 26, which gave power over Aborigines to the States rather than to the Federal Government. Aboriginal people were officially excluded from the vote, public service, the Armed Forces and pensions. The White Australia mentality/policy Australia as “White” and unfortunately this policy was not abolished until 1972. REFERENCE
...atures that make Australia what it is today. He uses the words “sunlit plain”, “vision splendid” and “wondrous glory” to provide the reader with an image that represents Australia’s reminiscent landscape. This is done to capture the reader’s thoughts in an attempt to persuade them. Paterson silences the negative aspects of rural life and the positive aspects of city life.
Source F: Shuters History • Treatment of Aboriginals from the 1920’s onwards shown as well as portraying the difference from Aboriginal living before the implementation of Social Darwinism in Australia, creating for a comparison of Aboriginal living, as well as this the source provides relevant information on half-caste policies, and shows further information into the long term effects on Aboriginal people. Source G: Racism and Indigenous people in Australia. • Shows the change from Aboriginal people before and after colonisation as well as discussing the ideas, laws and implementation of Social Darwinist policies. The article provides insight into how Aboriginal lives were changed and shows how the legacies of colonisation affected the Aboriginal people in the 20th century, going into depth between segregation, discrimination and the stolen
That means that Australia was considered empty, belonging to no one, before the British arrived and could legitimately be taken over. The loss of the Aboriginal land has had a devastating social and physical impact on Aboriginal
The 1890s in Australia was an exciting yet tumultuous period for its literature and arts. It was marked by a prodigious influx of literature based upon Australia and its unique landscape and culture. The novel My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin, written on the cusp of the twentieth century, is representative of the fervent nationalism which went in unison with the financial growth of the fledgling nation. The fearless heroine in the novel ‒ Sybylla Melvyn ‒ embodies the core values and beliefs of the emergent nationalism. The novel begins by following the conventional plot structure based upon the established romantic tradition in England but deviating to the extent that it requires a reevaluation in the context of nationalism and realism.