Social Justice Issues - Essay Example

Social Justice Author’s name Institutional affiliation Tutor Date Introduction Social justice is a very important concept. No modern society would claim to be progressive if issues of social justice are placed at the back burner. Similarly, a civilised society should only be considered to be one has achieved or has taken giant steps towards achieving social justice. Social justice entails a situation whereby all the members of a society enjoy economic equality (Behrendt, 2003). Social justice could also be said as being in existence where the government acts as the collector of all the wealth the aim being to distribute the same evenly among its citizenry. Social justice has its basis on Marxism. Karl Marx saw justice as existing in a state whereby economic equality prevails. Marx had the idea that people who work hard to accumulate money and acquire a lot of property should not viewed as the owners of the property. An ideal Marxist society should be considered as one which people are compensated equally despite the fact that such people may be engaged in different occupation, have different levels of education and the level of their skills could be worlds apart. Many societies in the modern world are capitalistic in nature (Behrendt, 2003). Under this arrangement, people are free to accumulate as much wealth as possible. Capitalism has been touted as encouraged a society in which every person is allowed to pursue their interests and reap rewards for their skills and hard work. The essay therefore looks at the issue of social justice in the Australian society. To achieve this end, a raft of policy measures has been crafted to ensure that a more equal society is attained. Discussion Despite the modern societies leaning towards capitalism, there are some concepts which could be considered as 'Marxist' or 'Communistic' which must be embraced. For a society to be socially just it must respect equality and observe human rights. Such a society should ensure the dignity of every person. There are certain policies that must be put in place to ensure progressive attainment of social justice. These measures could include redistribution of income and property. Government should also put in place mechanisms of taxation which favour the people with lower incomes while those earning more money face higher rates of taxes. Many societies do not ensure equal opportunities for their citizens and hence miss the mark when it comes to social justice. The Australian society has been marked by marked inequality. The Australian government realizes that having an unequal society is against the principles of social justice. Therefore, the government of Australia has developed policies which are meant to address the glaring inequality by implementing policies meant to result in social justice (Jamrozik, 2009). The 1980s saw integration of economies from different countries in a phenomenon which has gained currency and popularly known as globalization. The effect of the global economy was to ensure that businesses competed on a level playing field despite coming from different countries. This meant that the government brought about deregulation so that forces of supply and demand would come into play (Jamrozik, 2009). The Australian government has therefore been keen to reduce the size of government to ensure that it is not bloated and reformation of the taxation regimes. Adam Jamrozik points out that in the post welfare state social policy has been used to meet the goals of free market policies. This is opposed to the position which is encapsulated by the welfare state which is trying to reduce inequality which results from application of market forces (Jamrozik, 2009). Post welfare governments have been considered to be making the issue of inequality much worse. The poor people in the society have borne the brunt of these lopsided government policies by the government. The indigenous Australians have been particularly vulnerable to the market oriented approach by the government. The Aborigines and the Torres Strait Islanders are the indigenous Australians. The two communities immigrated into many years before the other communities set foot on the continent. Through the action and action and inaction of the Australian government for many years, the two communities have lagged behind in terms of development. Their conditions of living are a far cry from what the average Australian enjoys. There have been sad episodes in the history of the indigenous Australians (Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation, 1996). There are times when a lot of people from the two communities have been killed in circumstances which cannot be justified in a modern society. The 'invaders' were more concerned about their welfare and could be considered to have eager to see the last of these indigenous people as soon as was practicable. The problems facing the indigenous communities were multipronged. The indigenous communities had to contend with being displaced from the best land which they had occupied prior to being uprooted. The displacement of the indigenous people was never a peaceful process and many lost their lives in the process. The newcomers also introduced some illnesses that the indigenous communities could not cope with. This led to thousands of indigenous communities dying. As if this was not enough, other commodities introduced reared their ugly heads on the indigenous people. Products such alcoholic drinks led to addictions for the indigenous communities thus reducing communities which had been productive to pale shadows of their former selves. Behrendt (2003) note that due to the unfortunate position that the indigenous communities, the Aborigines and Strait Islanders, occupied, the Australian government created what is known as the position of the Aboriginal and Torres Islanders Social Justice Commissioner. This position was created by the Australian Parliament following the work presented by a Royal Commission which was charged with investigating the death if the Aborigines while in Custody and also an inquiry that had been conducted relating to violence in Australia which was related to violence based on race. The decision was also partly informed by the fact that Indigenous Australians occupy a social and economic position which is extremely disadvantageous to their wellbeing. With regard to the Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders, social justice entails ensuring that each and every Australian whether indigenous or non indigenous should be presented with a choice on how they would wish to run their lives. It is important that there are certain rights that the Indigenous Australians enjoy since they were the first occupants of Australia. The job description of the Commission is to review the impact that laws and policies passed by the national government have on the indigenous people. The commission should report on the social justice of the indigenous. The Commission was also supposed to promoting perspectives on issues by the indigenous communities. The Aboriginal and Torres Islander Social Justice Commissioner is charged with the responsibility of making observations as to whether the Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders are able to exercise and enjoy their human rights. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner is required by the Native Title Act of 1993 the Australian Human Rights Commission Act to issue reports on an annual basis regarding the issues of social justice for the native inhabitants of Australia. During the 1980s, the deaths of Aborigines while in custody drew a lot of controversy. The deaths were a major issue owing to the fact that many indigenous Australians viewed the deaths as being more than would ordinarily be expected while in police custody. The thinking was that the police and also the prison authorities had a hand, directly or indirectly, in the large number of deaths by the indigenous Australians. Owing to the huge public outcry, a commission known as the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody was set up in the year 1987 to look into the problem of the deaths. The findings of the Commission were that the reason why the deaths appeared disproportionate was because the indigenous communities had more people from their numbers being imprisoned in comparison to the other communities (Behrendt, 2003). The commission found that the deaths of indigenous Australians were not more than those of people from other ethnic extraction when the death were compared in proportion to the number of people arrested and imprisoned. In the year 2009, research finding indicated that an indigenous Australia was 14 more likely to be behind when compared to a non indigenous Australian. In the same year, a quarter of all the people who had been imprisoned were indigenous Australians. Between 1990 and 2007, indigenous people represented about 20% of the deaths while in police custody (Jamrozik, 2009). The commission investigating the deaths of indigenous Australian while in custody found that foul play was not really the immediate cause of the prisoners' deaths. The deaths of the prisoners could be attributed to the standard of care that the prison authorities accorded the people held in custody. The commission's report criticised the fact that the police and police authorities did not conduct thorough investigations as to what was the cause of the death for people in their custody. The commission recommended that any death while in custody be it for an indigenous or a non indigenous person should be properly investigated. Other than for a few and isolated cases it is not self evident that Aboriginal deaths while in custody were unreasonably high. There is a strong feeling that it is grossly unfair for the Australian Constitution to fail to recognise the Aborigine and the Torres Islanders people. Members of the indigenous community have been expressing their resentment to the fact that the Australian Constitution could be considered as outdated owing to its anomaly in failing to recognise the two indigenous communities. These groups therefore argue that it is only fair that the chief should be brought up date and portray Australia in the light of 21st century. The indigenous communities feel that there should be discussion at the national level on what is the best way through which the recognition of the indigenous would be included in the Constitution and gain support of the majority while being responsive to the needs of the Aborigines and the Torres Strait Islander people. This call for recognition of the indigenous communities has won the support of different sections of the Australian society including the government and the opposition (Behrendt, 2003). To achieve the issue of recognition of the indigenous communities, the Australian Prime Minister established a Panel composed of expert who terms of reference require it to carry out consultations on the issue of indigenous communities being recognised in the constitution. The consultation is very important because the Constitution is the basis of the federal laws of Australia and changes to the Constitution can only be effected through the will of the majority of the electorate through a constitutional referendum. The Commission on the Rights of the Aborigines and Torres Strait Islander came up with resources are handy in enabling the Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders people to appreciate their rights and understand them so that they are able to protect them. The community guide to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People is geared towards making sure that indigenous people are able to know their rights and enforce them. The declaration is international and provides a reference to which governments and indigenous people can turn to. The declaration is premised upon participation and also the principle f self determination. These principles are important in ensuring that the rights of indigenous people and the role that they play in any society are fully recognized and appreciated. The declaration contains standards which no government should go below. If the declaration is followed to the letter then it is certain that indigenous people in the world, wherever they are, would live their lives in dignity and their survival would also be assured. It is an open secret that the Aborigines and Torres Strait Islander are a people whose health is very poor. This is unlike the situation for the non indigenous Australians who enjoy better health facilities and services. The government of Australia has not turned a blind eye to the suffering of the Australian people. The government has registered health bodies with the mandate of looking into the health issues of the indigenous Australians (Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation 1996). There are Non Governmental Organisations that fight for human rights who have also taken it upon themselves to ensure that indigenous Australians attain levels of health and hence have life expectancy commensurate to that of the non indigenous Australians. The campaign has been dubbed as the Close the Gap Campaign. The campaign aims to ensure that the gaps that exist in provision of health services and health expectancy between the different Australian groups have been bridged. There is ample evidence which supports the position that it is possible to improve the state of health for the indigenous Australians within a short duration of time. The campaign has set as its goal to make sure that by the year 2030 a child born to an Aborigine or a Torres Strait Islander would have a similar chance as any other Australian child in that such a child can lead a life that is long, healthy and also happy (Behrendt, 2003). Conclusion The issue of social justice play a central role in any civilised society. Social justice is indispensable with any society which can be defined as progressive or as respective human rights. The Australian government awoke from slumber and realized that it owed the indigenous communities a higher duty than that owed to the ordinary Australian in ensuring that the indigenous communities are able to lead lives that are productive. Initially, the indigenous communities faced inexplicable hardships which were made worse by deliberate government policies to push them into unproductive regions and thus effectively locking them out from development. With the passage of time, the government of Australia has come up with a number of measures that are geared towards ensuring that Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders will no longer be treated as second class people. The indigenous people should have the equal opportunities with their colleagues who are non indigenous. Some of the commendable measures that have been put in place is ensuring that there are bodies which are charged with looking into the concerns of the indigenous people. However, there is still a long way to go before the indigenous communities can feel like first class citizens. Therefore, the government should not grow weary in introducing changes and setting aside finances towards achieving social justice for the indigenous people. If the changes that have been implemented so far is anything to go by, then, it is only a matter of time before Australia can be considered as a country where people enjoy social justice. References Behrendt, L. (2003). Achieving social justice: Indigenous rights and Australia's future. Annandale, N.S.W: Federation Press Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation. (1996). Going forward: Social justice for the first Australians. Canberra: AGPS. Jamrozik, A. (2009). Social policy in the post-welfare state: Australian society in a changing world. (3rd Ed.). 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The 1980s saw integration of economies from different countries in a phenomenon which has gained currency and popularly known as globalization. The effect of the global economy was to ensure that businesses competed on a level playing field despite coming from different countries. This meant that the government brought about deregulation so that forces of supply and demand would come into play (Jamrozik, 2009). The Australian government has therefore been keen to reduce the size of government to ensure that it is not bloated and reformation of the taxation regimes.

Adam Jamrozik points out that in the post welfare state social policy has been used to meet the goals of free market policies. This is opposed to the position which is encapsulated by the welfare state which is trying to reduce inequality which results from application of market forces (Jamrozik, 2009). Post welfare governments have been considered to be making the issue of inequality much worse. The poor people in the society have borne the brunt of these lopsided government policies by the government.

The indigenous Australians have been particularly vulnerable to the market oriented approach by the government. The Aborigines and the Torres Strait Islanders are the indigenous Australians. The two communities immigrated into many years before the other communities set foot on the continent. Through the action and action and inaction of the Australian government for many years, the two communities have lagged behind in terms of development. Their conditions of living are a far cry from what the average Australian enjoys.

There have been sad episodes in the history of the indigenous Australians (Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation, 1996). There are times when a lot of people from the two communities have been killed in circumstances which cannot be justified in a modern society. The 'invaders' were more concerned about their welfare and could be considered to have eager to see the last of these indigenous people as soon as was practicable. The problems facing the indigenous communities were multipronged. The indigenous communities had to contend with being displaced from the best land which they had occupied prior to being uprooted.

The displacement of the indigenous people was never a peaceful process and many lost their lives in the process. The newcomers also introduced some illnesses that the indigenous communities could not cope with. This led to thousands of indigenous communities dying. As if this was not enough, other commodities introduced reared their ugly heads on the indigenous people. Products such alcoholic drinks led to addictions for the indigenous communities thus reducing communities which had been productive to pale shadows of their former selves.

Behrendt (2003) note that due to the unfortunate position that the indigenous communities, the Aborigines and Strait Islanders, occupied, the Australian government created what is known as the position of the Aboriginal and Torres Islanders Social Justice Commissioner. This position was created by the Australian Parliament following the work presented by a Royal Commission which was charged with investigating the death if the Aborigines while in Custody and also an inquiry that had been conducted relating to violence in Australia which was related to violence based on race.

The decision was also partly informed by the fact that Indigenous Australians occupy a social and economic position which is extremely disadvantageous to their wellbeing. With regard to the Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders, social justice entails ensuring that each and every Australian whether indigenous or non indigenous should be presented with a choice on how they would wish to run their lives. It is important that there are certain rights that the Indigenous Australians enjoy since they were the first occupants of Australia.

The job description of the Commission is to review the impact that laws and policies passed by the national government have on the indigenous people.

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