Critical Social Work Australia Issue 2022

Running head: CRITICAL SOCIAL WORK
CRITICAL SOCIAL WORK
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

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Examining the issues of indigenous people and effect
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people constitute a significant part of the Australian
population. This section of the population although significant and the original inhabitants of
Australia, is amongst the most neglected population group in the country. The issues are quite
high when it comes to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people considered as the risk factors
concerning the group. Significant risk factors are there that impact or could impact the social and
emotional wellbeing of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The Indigenous people
go through widespread loss and grief. This is because of the long years of abuse that they have
had to face. They were torn apart from their families in the name of civilizing them. The impact
of Stole Generations and taking away of children from their families are strong and deep
(Peeters, Hamann & Kelly, 2014). Apart from that, the separation of the Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander people from their own culture and tradition led to an unresolved trauma. The
people have long been discriminated based on their culture and race whether in educational field
or in the field of health.
This neglect and suffering had immense affect on the Indigenous population as it heavily
disadvantaged them in both social and economic terms. Furthermore, the younger generation was
misrepresented in the broader context with most of the youth being represented in detention
centers and prison. In terms of health and education, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
people lag far behind than other non-Indigenous Australians.
Historical overview of the issue
The history of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander is almost 60,000 years old when
they first inhabited the land of Australia. During the 18th and the 19th century, the land of the

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Indigenous people came into the notice of the European settlers who then began entering the land
and gradually taking over (Lydon, 2017). Along with the British came several diseases and other
problems that engulfed the Aboriginal people. With time, the European settlers began to view the
Aboriginal people as nomads who have no sense of land ownership and who would not mind
being driven away from their farming and grazing land. This perception led to the driving away
of thousands of Aboriginal people from their land and devoid of any sort of resources further
leading to diseases, which were often fatal. The Aboriginal people had deep cultural and spiritual
association with their lands and when they were driven away from their land, they could not
maintain the cohesion with their spiritual and cultural practices. The disease that came with and
spread from the British colonials were fatal and the Aboriginal people could not tolerate it. It led
to a huge reduction in Aboriginal birthrates owing to reduced fertility.
The ascendancy of the European settlers also led to several conflicts in the Australian
land involving the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Throughout the 1790s and
1800s, the Indigenous leaders waged war against the Europeans. In the Myall Creek massacre of
1838, 28 Aboriginal people were killed. The Palawa tribe in particular was hit the worst.
Apparently, the figure ranged between 2000 and 15000 Palawa people who were dead by the
year 1870 (Lydon, 2017). The European settlers also indulged in stealing the children by
removing them from their Aboriginal families during the period between 1905 and 1967. These
children were referred to as Stolen Generations.
Current context
The long years of abuse and sufferings largely affected the Indigenous population and it
was reflected in all spheres including education, health and wellbeing. As per the current

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statistics, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are at the bottom when it comes to life
expectancy, education, mortality, health and wellbeing. As Maxwell, Lowe and Salter (2018)
observe, the representation of Aboriginal histories and culture in the Australian Curriculum
demonstrates the priority given to the Aboriginal people. The authors reveal that the creation of
the Australian Curriculum was flawed with the curriculum authors molding the “priority from an
initiative without clear purpose into a purported solution to the Indigenous problem of
educational underachievement, student resistance and disengagement.” They find that the
problems regarding the policy lead to racialisation constructing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander people, their culture and histories as deficient. Around 400,000 Indigenous people
inhabit Australia representing just over 2% of the total population. These 2% Aboriginal people
form the most disadvantaged minority group in the country. It is the minority group built on
dispossession, invasion, colonization and racism (Abs.gov.au, 2019).
However, some amendments and good results have been visible in the last few decades.
In terms of education, the proportion of Indigenous individuals who successfully completed Year
12 or the degree equal to it between the year 2006 and 2016 rose by over 10%. According to the
latest statistics, the attendance percentage of Aboriginal students attending schools is 83.2% in
2017 compared to the 93% attendance of non-Indigenous Australians (Pmc.gov.au, 2019). In
terms of health and life expectancy, the Aboriginal people are estimated to live 10.6 years less
than non-Aboriginal Australians, which is a concern. It thus could be seen that the current
context of the social issue concerning the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is still
below the margin compared to non-Indigenous people.
Impact of political and economic factors