Essay Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders - 1586 Words

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have faced disadvantages in various areas, particularly housing. The disadvantages these people face now are the result of policies introduced by the European settlers, then the government. The policies introduced were protection, assimilation, integration and self-determination. It is hard to understand the housing disadvantages faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people if their history is not known. In 1788 when the European settlers â€Å"colonised† Australia, the Australian land was known as â€Å"terra nullius† which means â€Å"land belonging to no-one†. This decision set the stage for the problems and†¦show more content†¦The police could also expel ‘trouble makers’ from reserves. The policy of Assimilation/Integration was in force from the 1930’s to the early 1960’s. The Assimilation policy was aimed to make the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people more ‘civilized’ and ‘westernised’. It was hoped by the State Governments and Federal Government that the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identity would be destroyed and lost forever. The â€Å"Stolen Generation† was caused by the Assimilation policy. Children under fourteen years old were taken away from their parents and placed in â€Å"training homes† such as the â€Å"Cootamundra Domestic Training Home for Aboriginal Girls†. It was easy for the governments to defend their decision to remove Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children due to the destitute conditions of the reserves. In 1939 the â€Å"Exemption Certificate† was introduced. This certificate gave Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people the opportunity to become ‘normal’ people if they follow government orders. The orders included the people were not allowed to live on the reserves, therefore not allowed to be with their families, and not allowed to socialize with non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. This leaves the exempted Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders lonely and without any proper life. The exempted Aboriginal and TorresShow MoreRelatedAboriginal And Torres Strait Islanders1514 Words   |  7 Pagesused to describe Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. (Australian Human Rights Commission, n.d.) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are the original land owners of Australia, having lived here for more than 40,000. They were free to practice a different way of life and culture before European settlement in the late 1700s. 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