The Aboriginal Population of Australia - Essay Example

Australia indigenous people history By the 20th century the indigenous people of Australia had managed to survive by traditional means even after being exposed to diseases, violence and the high spread of foreign settlement and custom. It is reported that 1914 around 1200 Aboriginal people opted to fight the foreigners even with there being restrictions by their fellow indigenous Australians who had been enrolled in the military. With the war progressing, there was some relaxation on restrictions since there was need for more recruits by the foreign powers. Many indigenous took this offer with the claim of being Maori or Indian (Grey, 2008). There had been a declination of the indigenous population of Australia population to between fifty thousands and ninety thousands in the 1920 with many being convinced that these indigenous would soon extinct, even those Australians who were sympathizers being convinced of the same (Smith, 1980). In the 1930s there was a great improvement of the situation of the indigenous people who had survived. This was as a result of having become more resistant to the imported diseases, with the birthrate taking an upturn and the communities being able to adapt to the changed circumstances. In the Northern region, there was significant continuation of frontier conflict where isolated Europeans and foreign Asian fishermen perished in the hands of the hunter gatherers up to the time when World War II begun in 1939. The indigenous people also lost their lives in the hands of the European settlers in the centre and north of Australia with the gun being used as the weapon of killing. A particular series of killings was named the Caledon Bay crisis and it acted as a defining moment with regards to how the indigenous people and the non-indigenous people related to each other in the country. The indigenous people were highly stereotyped both in Australia and outside the country. This was depicted in what was written by Margaret Sanger, American birth control campaigner who referred to the Aborigine Australians as the lowest known species of the human family who was just slightly above the chimpanzee with regards to brain development. By the time World War II was coming to an end, many indigenous people had served in the military and this were the majority who accounted for the small number of indigenous Australians who had been granted citizenship, and even with this citizenship the indigenous Australians were required to carry with them identification papers, this being referred to as ‘dog license’ in the vernacular. Even with this taking place, the Aboriginal pastoral workers occupying the Northern Australia retained un-free laborer status, being paid small amounts of cash plus rations in addition to the high level restrictions in their movement by the regulations and police actions. The 1946 Pilbara strike was initiated by the Aboriginal station workers in the Pilbera region in Western Australia where none of the workers returned to work. After Federal Pastoral Industry Award of 1968 there were mass layoffs in the northern region of the country. The Award stipulated that there was to be a minimum wage that was to be paid to Aboriginal station workers, as payment was not at the Pastoralist discretion. Even after this award, most of the workers were never paid and those who were paid had the money being held by the government. This resulted many workers, together with their families, being reduced to refugee status, having to live in camps that were located on the outskirts of the towns and cities. Reconciliation path Some of the important events that have taken place in Australia include the right to vote. It was in 1949 when the right to vote was extended to the indigenous people who had given their services in the army, where they were enrolled as eligible voters in state elections. At this time the indigenous people living in Queensland, Northern territory and Western Australia had yet to be eligible for voting and thus had no right of participating in federal elections. Other important events with regards to voting are the referendum that was held in 1967 that went through by overwhelming 90% majority. The Commonwealth was allowed to come up with laws with regards to Aboriginal people, where it was required for the Aboriginal people to be included in counts to ensure there was fair representation. This referendum has so far been the largest affirmative vote that has ever happened in the history of Australia referendums. In 1971 after the Yolngu people being defeated in a case where Nabalco was to cease mining on a land they considered their own, there was formation of the Woodward Commission that led to Aboriginal Land Rights Act. Aboriginal Tent Embassy was established as a response of the sentiments among the indigenous people that they were just strangers in their own country. The Aboriginal Land Rights Act drafted by Whitlam government did not sail through, but there was a version of the act that was introduced by the coalition Government. Even though this had its application being limited to Northern Territory, with it came “inalienable" freehold title on some traditional lands. In 1992 a decision was handed over in the Mebo Case by the High Court, where there was declaration of invalidation of the terra nullius legal concept that was previously held. This followed with the legislation enactment and later its amendment that recognized Native Title claims in land in the country. The year 1999 so the defeat a referendum that sought to change Australian Constitution such that there could be recognition that, before the British settlement the country was occupied by the indigenous people. Also the year 2004 saw The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission ATSIC),which was the top Indigenous organization in Australia, being abolished by the Australian Government, this being attributed to misappropriation of funds. With its abolishment, the Indigenous programs were reintegrated and transferred to departments and agencies that were offering service to the general population. Richard Frankland in 2005 wrote an open letter to the Prime minister, advocating for the recognition of eighteenth-century conflict between the indigenous people as wars that deserve attention as any other wars which received attention in the Australian War Memorial. The Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made a formal apology to the Aboriginal people in 2008. Influence of the past history of Indigenous Austrians on ethical practice of engineering The past history of the Indigenous people helps in emphasizing the need of ethical practice in engineering. The Institution of Civil Engineers in their emphasis of ethics in engineering practice directs that the members are to be always aware of their overriding responsibility to the public good. This means that as the engineers is in pursuit of fulfilling obligations to the client, this in no any circumstance should override the public good (Institution of Civil Engineers,2004). The institutions points out that public good should look at taking care and respecting the environment, and the peoples cultural, archaeological and historical heritage in addition to the engineers having the responsibility of taking care of the health and well being of the people both at present and in the future. This is very important in the context of the Aboriginal history which was highly influenced by the foreigners who came to occupy their ancestral land. From the history it has been seen that the ‘visitors’ lacked respect to the culture of the indigenous people. They came up with policies that were destructive to the indigenous people. It was seen that the new way of life exposed the people to foreign diseases which almost eliminated them. This could be attributed to the innovative life where the indigenous people were to work in industries for longer hours and being exposed to health hazards. The engineer is expected to have full recognition that the highest ambition is to exercise the engineering profession in full commitment of serving the society, in attention to the welfare and progression of the majority. Here we find that some engineering practices will tend to bring negative impact to a majority of the people in the area in which the project is being implemented. In the history of Australia we have seen that the indigenous people were to work without pay. This is likely to be the case of engineering practice without ethics. In such a situation one comes up with a project without putting in consideration the required manpower and the cost that should come with it. Through transformation of nature for the benefit of mankind, the engineer would be expected to increase the human awareness of the world and increasing their knowledge of reality as a process of making the world fairer and a better place for living. As part of their ethical responsibility the engineers will be expected to reject anything that is likely to be harmful to the general interest, as this will ensure that situations that are a hazard or threatening to the environment, to life, health or rights to human are avoided (Layton, 1986). All this bad experiences have been experienced by the indigenous Australians and deliberate efforts have been seen to be made to come out of them. This simply shows that as an engineering professional, ethical issues will be mandatory as the people will not be willing to go back to the bitter experiences of the past. Thus the engineers are expected to uphold the prestige of this profession, ensuring it is properly discharged and there should be maintenance of demeanor that is rooted in fortitude, ability, honesty, modesty, temperance, magnanimity and justice; and in full consciousness individual well being coming after the overall social good. References Grey, Jeffrey (2008). A Military History of Australia (Third ed.). Port Melbourne: Cambridge University Press. pp. 28–40. ISBN 978-0-521-69791-0. Smith L. (1980). The Aboriginal Population of Australia, Australian National University Press, Canberra. Institution of Civil Engineers (2004). Royal Charter, By-laws, Regulations and Rules. Retrieved 2006-10-20. Layton, Edwin (1986). The Revolt of the Engineers: Social Responsibility and the American Engineering Profession. 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