The Public Relations Institute of Australia - Research Paper Example

Aboriginal Studies. Name: Institution: Aboriginals are the original inhabitants in the Australian continent. It is believed that these aboriginals had migrated from the African continent to Asia in 70,000 years ago. It is also believed that they arrived in the continent of Australia about 50,000 years ago. Torres Strait Islanders are the natives from the Torres Strait Islands. These islands are found in the tip of the Queensland which is near the Papua New Guinea. (Macknight 1986) From the middle of the 19th century to sometime in the middle of the 20th century, the territories in Australia passed some statutes that were discriminating against the indigenous people in the Aboriginal. Some of these despicable and inhuman measures were discriminatory legislation, networks of institutions, state control of families and the forcible removal of children. During that period, there was an unrelenting epitome of practice that was well supported by the government. This intervention was based on racist assumptions and was believed by the white majority to provide a viable resolution of the Aboriginal problem. It was argued by the white community that children in the Aboriginal families were prone to neglect and other evils. The solution proposed and adopted was to forcibly remove these children and rear them in white society. (Haebich, 2011, p. 1036). The United Nations’ declares that any indigenous person has to be treated with no biasedness and with humanity. The act of forcibly removing them and rearing them in white society is not acceptable. In 2007, the United Nations declared that the indigenous people are to be treated equally with other people and bearing in mind that all people are different and should be considered differently and with respect. Also irrespective of the Aboriginal’s poor states, they were also contributing to the diversified cultural civilizations which constituted the ordinary heritage of the human society. United Nations also affirmed that any practice which advocates superiority of some people based on their nationality, religion or ethnicity is racism of the highest order and is inhuman. (Declarations 2008) This Convention had been ratified in the year 1949, by Australia. The general public of Australia correlated this forcible movement of indigenous children to be tantamount to the extermination policies of the Nazis. A section of the populace expressed concerns regarding the compensation to be paid to the victims of this great iniquity. The Bringing Home Report had recommended the employment of the United Nations’ van Boven principles. These principles addressed issues related to the victims of gross human rights violation. In addition, these principles had recommended a wide array of reparation measures, such as compensation, restitution, rehabilitation, satisfaction and guarantee of non – recurrence. It was in this context that a recommendation had been suggested from a national apology to the victims (Haebich, 2011, p. 1033). Until the 1960s, it was the practice in Australia to remove children from their families. This was done with regard to children who were considered to be abused, destitute, or neglected. The problematic social groups targeted by these policies were children of the poor whites or indigent families, which included single mothers, and orphans of the empire. Subsequent to being rescued, these children were allocated to foster families, public institutions, or welfare institutions run by non – governmental organizations. In several of the instances, these displaced children were not provided with the necessary attention to ensure their proper care. This unfortunate state of affairs continues in contemporary child protections systems. It was as late as the 1990s, when several historic and public debates were conducted. These related to the removal of indigenous children, and were given a major impetus by the Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission’s report regarding the stolen generations. The Australian welfare system was based on the contention that the policy makers had altruistic motives, and that the welfare agencies engaged in practices that were basically beneficial and philanthropic. This manner of thinking was dominant until the 1970s. The emphasis, during those times, was upon democratic, modernist, and reformist values, with regard to the policies and programmes pertaining to child welfare. In this system, children regarded as targets of state intervention were the forsaken, illegitimate, neglected, and orphaned. These attributes were deemed to be sufficient grounds for forcibly removing them from their parents (Bessant , 2013, p. 311) The human rights in the country of Australia clearly explain that it is very vital to exercise equality, fairness and diversity in Australia. The commission has responsibilities of ensuring that there is some observation of human rights in all work places in Australia. The Commission consistently prevents and eliminates any discrimination which is based on the gender, skin color, age, marital status, religion, political affiliations, social origins etc. So the Commission has been working tirelessly in ensuring that there were “Workplace Diversity Programs”. These programs appreciate diverse skills, cultures and backgrounds within the employment sector. This program incorporates some strategies of rectifying employment disadvantages which could be affecting the Aboriginals, people with disabilities and the women in Australia. (AHRC, 2011, page 10) According to Stolen Generations Victoria (n.d.), Aboriginal society had been forcibly separated from their families, community and cultural practices during their childhood, a situation which created the stolen generation. This happened for more than a century and most of the miseries, sufferings and the injuries which are were untold due to the ineffectiveness of the communication and media created much painful impacts to the communities of the indigenous Australians and the Aboriginal people. The stolen generation had caused a painful effect on indigenous Australian society. They lost their family, identities, culture and language. All these effects still have not stopped and the damages caused still exist in the Aboriginal society (National Sorry Day Committees, 1970). The Bringing Them Home Report, which had been prepared by Dodson and Wilson in the year 1997, the ethnologists through their theories examine the evolution of aboriginal race from not only a backward, but also an adverse perspective. In early 1990s the indigenous Australians were regarded as powerless in defending themselves as they were considered the “remnants of a past doomed to extinction”. Having studied the preceding, it is critical to indicate that there are various approaches through which communication culture and Indigenous Australian professional practice approach issues of indigenous of self-representation, representation by others, identity, as well as race representation. (Haebich, 2011, p. 1033). Also the files which were traced in a research carried out following National Inquiry about this separation of the aboriginal people from their families, it noted many faults in the information concerning the existing wellbeing removals of these children from their homes. There was an interpretation that these indigenous children were being over-represented in the child protection systems and this was not ameliorating (Chris, 2002). This research also noted that there were some indigenous children who did have substantiated cases of neglection or being emotionally abused before the Children’s’ Court in 1996. Some of these cases also involved these children being abused physically and sexually. These files were retrieved fro the Departments of community services and did lead to the credibility of the research. There are some reconciliation schemes which have been put forth between the aboriginals and the people from the Torres Strait Islander with the other Australian citizens. Reconciliation Action Plan with other organizations, in Australia, usually come up with business plans on how to facilitate the reconciliation process in Australia. These RAPs come up with appropriate tasks to be carried out in building stronger relationships between these two groups of people and the other Australians. These RAPS also advocate for equality by coming up with sustainable opportunities. The RAP program was launched in 2006 and ever since, this community has been growing considerably. Even some largest companies, government agencies, non-profit making organizations, colleges and Universities have come on board in advocating for reconciliation.(Reconciliation: action plans 2006) The Australian government is working relentlessly across governmental levels collaborating with the community in bringing about the reconciliation of the two groups with the other Australian Citizens. The government believes that by advocating for this reconciliation, there could be many achievements for these indigenous Australians. The government is having open dialogues, responsibilities and mutual respect amongst the Australians. The government strongly believes that reconciliation is all about understanding and accepting each other irrespective of ones background. The government also creates awareness, learning of its people about the history and cultures of these indigenous people. It also encourages its citizens to change their attitudes which are usually founded on the myths and misconception and encourages everyone to play his/her part to build a strong cohesion between most Australians. (Reconciliation 2013) In 23/5/2011, the COAG committed all the government sectors in Australia to some approaches of equality and closing of gaps in education systems existing between the Indigenous students and those who are non-indigenous. The COAG released 2010-2014 action plan which committed the government to introducing substantial structures and reforms in the education sector. The reforms were to improve the outcomes of the indigenous people and the young people. These actions which were to be implemented by the government were in six domains. i.e. readiness for schools, engagements and connection, attendance, numeracy and the numeracy, quality teaching, workforce developments and the leaderships, pathway to the actual post school option. The implementation of these action plans required the education providers and the government to be flexible as they work together to close the targeted gaps. (Aboriginal Education Action Plan 2011) In 2004, the Australian association of workers (AASW) gave out a statement as they apologized for the past faults which had been committed against the indigenous people. The AASW also apologized for the wrongs in the social work professions. The contemporary social work was committed to work with the indigenous people and help them to attain self-determination. They also felt that they were obliged to have the cultural rights, economic and even the social rights of these indigenous people validated and acknowledged. (Ethics: consultation 2004) The members involved in the media management and communication need to practice fairness and should be respecting the rights of the other people. This advocates for the unlimited unity between the indigenous people and the other Australian people. All people should be treated equally irrespective of ones social or political backgrounds. The aboriginal people have proved that they are equally competitive in all the working, education and creativity sectors. There is also the Deadly Vibe Group which is an Aboriginal communications agency. It is focused on working with the indigenous people so as to make them feel at home and valued. The deadly vibe holds events which promote the aboriginal wellbeing through music, sports, health promotion, entertainment, arts, news and the culture. They focus on the heroes from the Aboriginal community who are not much recognized by many. Such heroes are those who are always improving the living standards, reviving cultural practices and creating well-built communities. (Code of ethics 2005) The Deadly vibe also has nominations for the talented artists with the aboriginal origin. This aids in the restoration of the lost splendor in these indigenous people. In the year 2010, the Nominations for the community awards included the outstanding achievements in the indigenous education, health, health of that year, employment, cultural advancements, and community news anchor of the year and the leader of that year. (Deadly: awards 2011) The public Relations Institute of Australia has come up with some codes of ethics which bind any person dealing with another person. It states that people should be treated with honesty and fairness. Also people should not represent any conflicting interest without the consent of the other person. The Australian community should not be indulging in activities like racism which would be bringing discredit upon all of them. (Members: code 2010) In conclusion, by respecting the cultural, knowledge and traditional practices of the indigenous people, it would be the best way to sustain and manage their environment properly. If the indigenous people were allowed to have control over their land and resources, then they would be empowered to strengthen their schools, cultures and enhance developments as per their aspirations. There is need of the citizens expecting and promoting any affirmed treaty, agreement or any other constructive arrangement with the state. The Indigenous people should be empowered politically, socially, economically so that this problem is eradicated for good. (Declarations 2008) References Reconciliation: actionplans 2006, viewed 31 August 2013 Reconciliation 2013, viewed 31 August 2013 Aboriginal Education Action Plan 2011, viewed 31 August 2013 . Ethics: consultation 2004, viewed 31 August 2013 < http://www.aasw.asn.au/whatwedo/ethics-consultation-resources> Code of ethics 2005, viewed 31 August 2013 Deadly: awards 2011, viewed 31 August 2013 Members: code 2010, viewed 31 August 2013 Declarations 2008, viewed 1 August 2013 Bessant , J. C., 2013. History and Australian indigenous child welfare policies. Policy Studies, 34(3), pp. 310 – 325. Haebich. 2011. Forgetting Indigenous Histories: Cases from the History of Australia's Stolen Generations. Journal of Social History, 44(4), pp. 1033 – 1046. Macknight. 1986.”Macassans and the Aboriginal past”. University of Sydney: Oceania Publications. Read More