Australia and the Aboriginal People: A Historical and Contemporary Perspective

Running head: AUSTRALIAN STUDIES
AUSTRALIAN STUDIES
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1AUSTRALIAN STUDIES
Executive summary
This paper reflects and gives an insight about Australia and the aboriginal people in Australia.
This paper provides the historical background of the country Australia and about the aboriginal
people and the current day situation of these two and provides a reflection of the country. this
paper gives a clear understanding about Australia.

2AUSTRALIAN STUDIES
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Discussion........................................................................................................................................3
Historical background of Australia and Indigenous people........................................................3
Contemporary situation of Australia...........................................................................................5
Personal reflection.......................................................................................................................6
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................7

3AUSTRALIAN STUDIES
Introduction
Australia is a sovereign country that comprises of the island of Tasmania, mainland of the
continent of Australia and many small islands. Australia is the sixth largest country in the world
by the total area and the largest and biggest country in Oceania. This paper sheds a light on the
country Australia and the indigenous Australians and will give an insight about the historical
background and the contemporary state of the country and the indigenous Australians.
Discussion
Historical background of Australia and Indigenous people
The aboriginal people of Australia have the oldest culture that is still continuing on Earth.
The arrival of the first fleet of the British ships in Sydney in the year 1788 established a penal
colony and then began the scientific exploration of Australia and later saw the establishment of
colonies in other parts of Australia (Bird, O’Grady & Ulm 2016). This colonization had a
devastating effect and impact on the indigenous or the aboriginal people because of the vast
disruption of the people’s traditional practices and lifestyles, illness of people and death that
occurred because the introduced diseases and their land dispossession (Malaspinas et al. 2016)
In the 1820’s the cheap lands of Australia and the abundance in work attracted many
British migrants and these settlers began to invade the territories of the indigenous people
(Australia.com 2019).
In 1851, the discovery of gold in Central Victoria and New South Wales attracted many
people from other states. The imposition of the mining laws on the goldfield workers by the