Racism and Indigenous People in Australia - Essay Example

Indigeneity and Identity – Race & Racism College: Name: Students ID: Date: Course Name: Unit Code: Time: Instructor: Introduction The New South Wales Government Report (2011) states that, “…the issue of Aboriginality and Identity is one of the most critical issues in contemporary Aboriginal affairs.” Communities around Australia, mainly those of non-Aboriginal origin, are up till now debating as to who is and who is not an Aboriginal and what defines or determines Aboriginality. This has resulted into rising community distress and uncertainty. However, this is not a new issue. Narrations show that from the first days when the white people invaded and colonised Australia, they have come to grips with this issue. They have come up with different definitions of Aboriginality, until now there is no universally accepted definition of Aboriginality. It is true that the Aboriginal peoples suffered for centuries due to the marginalisation and oppression following the invasion of their land by the British as of the 1770’s. In recent times, the Australian government has stepped-up efforts aimed at what the Rudd’s report calls ‘closing the gap’ (Australian Government, 2010). Given that there are close to 500 diverse Aboriginal people in Australia, all with a unique language, territory and clans, debate on the issue is expected to continue. This paper delves further into this debate by answering the following key questions; Indigenous people in Australia today are required to have a ‘Confirmation of Aboriginality’ document… What is this confirmation document, how is it obtained and why does an Indigenous person have to acquire one. Do you believe this unfairly sets Indigenous people apart from the rest of Australia and if so why? In answering this question you are expected to discuss process and focus your thoughts and feelings as an Australian/or visitor to Australia, on the inclusion or exclusion process involved. Confirmation of Aboriginality Document A document of Confirmation of Aboriginality is a document used to identify an Aboriginal person. There is no distinct procedure for obtaining a Confirmation of Aboriginality document in Australia. In actual reality, the process of defining and identifying Aboriginality is every so often contradictory to the amateurs and even at times for Aboriginal people. In some cases it may well be exceptionally simple and straightforward. But, at times the process of confirmation of Aboriginality could be easier said than done, intricate and may well result in a heated debate since, sometimes, Aboriginal people may have a different opinion as regards who is an Aboriginal person. This is because only Aboriginal people are capable of establishing who is an Aboriginal person or who is not (New South Wales Government, 2011). The Australian Government and nearly all State Governments officially recognise the Aboriginal people by the official criteria provided for under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act (1983) (New South Wales Government, 2011). According to the act, an Aboriginal person is the one who satisfies the following conditions: 1) Belongs the Aboriginal Race of Australia, and 2) Is of Aboriginal descent, and 3) Is recognised by the Aboriginal community as an Aboriginal person The community plays a key role in determining who is an Aboriginal person. This is because the Aboriginal people, as individuals or as a group in communities, delineate themselves by their traditions not the skin colour. Therefore, for an individual to confirm their status as an Aboriginal person, one has got to obtain the Confirmation of Aboriginality document from Aboriginal Australian officialdom within the community in which they reside or used to reside in the past. Communal organisations permitted to do so must be: a) An Aboriginal organisation incorporated under Part IV of the Aboriginal Councils and Associations Act 1976; or b) An incorporated communal organisation whose governing council is dominated by Aboriginal persons. Procedure for Confirmation of Aboriginality Ahead of applying for a Confirmation of Aboriginality document through an Aboriginal organisation, an individual should collect as much information as they can as regards their family history as well as heritage. The organisation’s management committee most probably will require the individual to explicate their heritage. This could come in handy particularly in cases where one’s ancestral history is not clear. The individual could rely on documents such as birth, death along with marriage certificates that map out their family unit to a particular Aboriginal location or reserve, or know how to narrate past stories and even produce photographs, 18+ cards, driver’s license or learner’s permit. Some organisations such as AIATSIS assist in doing this, which is quite encouraging (New South Wales Government, 2011). The individual then contacts the Aboriginal organisation, possibly the one in which their family is from, seeing as somebody in the community possibly will know of or recall their family unit. The organisation is expected to speed up the process since requests for Confirmation of Aboriginality more often than not take in processes from other organisations for the individual to acquire business funding or scholarships, take part in sporting activities, apply for housing, and qualify for employment, among others. Since the process is not expected to take long, this is supportive of the individual (New South Wales Government, 2011). The individual is required to fill in the Declaration of Aboriginal Identity part of the applicable form, such as the one attached below (refer to appendix 1; for illustration only). A person permitted under the Statutory Declarations Act 1959 should witness this. Then, it is the Aboriginal organisation’s huge duty to make sure that the individual they are confirming is indeed an Aboriginal person. The Aboriginal organisation should demand the individual to be present at a Management Committee meeting to examine the request and ask for proof of Aboriginal identity with the Management Committee members. This ensures fairness to the individual, which is also encouraging (New South Wales Government, 2011). The committee could use the following questions to guide their decision: Who is your mob? (e.g. family name, relatives) Where does your mob originate from? Whether you have participated in Aboriginal Community activities, such as cultural events. Whether you can propose somebody from the community to stand up for your cultural identity? If the Management Committee members or the local community know the individual, the Management Committee may well decide to endorse the request. If the individual is not known to the nearby neighbourhood, the Management Committee may well demand that they make available a verification letter on paper from their local community, where they are known. Therefore, the individual is wholly involved. No organisation is supposed to endow any individual with confirmation if they have no indication before them that the person is an Aboriginal (New South Wales Government, 2011). The Management Committee should make sure that the approved confirmation has: A common seal; and Date of the meeting; and Resolution number; and Signature of two (2) Management Committee members. Is it Unfair? I think Confirmation of Aboriginality unfairly sets the Aboriginal people apart from the rest of the Australian community. On the onset I would like to state that you cannot correct evil with evil or as it is famously put “You cannot fight fire with fire”. The Australian government under the disguise of preferential treatment of the Aboriginal people is proliferating unfair practices to other Australian people. The government can argue that it is trying to square off the evils committed to the Indigenous people following the invasion by the white people in their land, followed by marginalisation, oppression, and segregation, among other racist practices. However, the truth is that nowadays the Aboriginal people are being treated as if they have more rights than other people living in Australia (Australian Government, 2010). The Aboriginal people argue that they are disadvantaged, cast out and that the white people enjoy more rights and opportunities than them. But is not true that the Aboriginal people are full citizens of Australia? As any other Australian citizens, the Aboriginal people are worthy of getting social services, education, pension, housing, employment, and medical cover, among other benefits. It is unfair that the Aboriginal people nowadays enjoy more rights and civil liberties than the white people. For example, the Aboriginal people receive extra financial support of around $7,000 per person on top of the benefits other citizens enjoy, they benefit from free education in some places whereas the white people are required to pay money for it, they have a special Aboriginal Legal Services funded by taxpayers money and at the same time they are allowed to use the normal legal assistance (Bobinoz, 2013). The Australian law does not permit any organisation to provide work for or prefer any individual based on their ethnic group, gender, or race. In a twist of events, the same government is circumventing the law it created and passed by officially authorising the Aboriginal people to be given preferential treatment in employment, housing, university scholarships, high school admissions, grants, and business funding, among others (Bobinoz, 2013). Furthermore, it is sad that some few individuals within the Aboriginal Industry abuse such privileges to gratify their individual interests such as using the Aboriginal people to acquire large tracts of land as well as colossal sums of money from the government. When questioned regarding such unorthodox activities, these individuals hide behind racist chants. So even if the government is assisting the Aboriginal people, clearly only a few of them are benefiting in actual sense. In addition, the few Aboriginal people benefiting from the government have now cultivated a culture of lazily depending upon the government. This issue has also extended to the court system where suspected Aboriginal people are differently (usually in a lenient manner) compared to other non-Aboriginal suspects. Classic examples of this are the Koori Courts and the Victoria Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) (Bobinoz, 2013). Conclusion The Aboriginal people are required to identify themselves by producing a Confirmation of Aboriginality document. This warrants them preferential benefits such as employment, grants, business funding, award of scholarships, and housing, among other. A Confirmation of Aboriginality document is for the most part issued by an Aboriginal Community Organisation. The organisation is tasked with proving that an individual is Aboriginal or not. The confirmation process involves a meeting with the organisation’s Management Committee. This process is typically wholly inclusive (New South Wales Government, 2011). However, the preferential benefits the Aboriginal people enjoy set them apart from other Australian residents. The government initiated such preferential treatment in a bid to make up for the sufferance the Aboriginal people under the invasion from the British people as of the 1770’s such as marginalisation, segregation, oppression and other racist activities. The truth is that you cannot fight fire with fire. The government in now is treating the Aboriginal people better than the white people, which is actually being racist towards the white people. Indeed, the Aboriginal people are Australian citizens just like any other Australian citizen. According to the law, all citizens need to be treated equally since no individual should be favoured based on their ethnic group, gender or race (Hollinsworth, 2012). References Australian Government, (2010). Closing the Gap: The Prime Minister’s Report. Canberra, 2010. Bobinoz, (2013). Is Australia Racist: Racism in Australia. Life in Australia. Hollinsworth, D. (2012). Racism and Indigenous People in Australia. Global Dialogue, 12 (2). New South Wales Government (2011). Aboriginality and Identity. Bob Morgan Consultancy Report, NSW. Read More