Racism and Discrimination: Impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders

This article discusses the harmful effects of racism and discrimination on the economic and social situation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. It explores the history of colonization and assimilation that has led to the marginalization of this community. The article emphasizes the need for support and action to uplift their community and provide culturally proficient care.

Description
While performing the research study intended for conducting presentation, I
analyzed that the discrepancy in economic and social situation alongside health
concerning non-Indigenous Australians and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders is
directly concerned to racism. Gibbs cycle is used for critically reflecting my
understanding. Racism is defined as a practice of persecution, in which individuals are
differentiated based on race. Presenting their dominance, the white populaces seized
control on the old property of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, presented different
syndromes and distinguished them under the category of second-class inhabitants
(Sherwood, 2013). Moreover, government policy concerning settlement and
discrimination exempted Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders that established mistrust
towards the conventional organizations ruled by the people of non-Indigenous
community (Morris, 2013). Discrimination produced a condition with scarce option of
worthy education and employment measured as intelligence under racial personality.
This communal stratification locked them in the nasty phase of poverty, and the
consequence of this phase will be seen in the present day. Conferring to the Section of
cabinet and Prime Minister (2013), discrimination in well-being setting was experienced
by 29 % of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, including 67% in shops, 35% in
accommodation and 42 % in employment in previous year. Being a global scholar, I
come across the similar condition, where I was not given the equal respect like my
existing fellow workers, except the fact that I was more educated and qualified as
compared to them. Yet, I replied my co-workers with a smile on my face, even though
complaining about partiality. Additionally, individual experience of discrimination can

lead to a variety of well-being issues such as depression, elevated blood pressure,
anxiety, early birth and cardiac disease (Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet,
2013).Nowadays, discrimination has turn into a continuing dissimilarity where the
structure of personal and institutional racist are fixed in behaviors and attitudes, social
and political settings.
Feelings
According to right of equality, every citizens must be treated with equality
irrespective of any skin type. Including the state that we call and include ourselves
under the category of modern humans, ignoring the fact that discrimination for
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are pathetic. Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islanders have struggled a lot to reserve their principles and values, for their survival
and to acquire decent diet and household has emotionally enthused me. I sense more
emotional connection towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. I can relate to
their situation, as I am a Global scholar in Australia. I had observed intelligence,
which was being measured based on individual’s race. I can feel how discouraging it
is to get mistreated as compared to other coworkers in the same health facility in
spite of being very much capable like anyone else in that field. Every time when I go
through the articles about discrimination and racism on Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islanders, I can relate personally in such situations. I can every time feel something,
which I have certainly not experienced before - an unreasonable sensation of profound
guilt, like I was a public kitchen pest that has to be killed, like I had done a crime, which
had injured someone considering myself as nothing. It is discouraging that the level of

discrimination still exists until the present time stating that the degree of social injustice
will not be over anytime soon.
Evaluation
Racism and discrimination has harmful outcome on the economic and social
situation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. Assimilated government policy and
colonization has produced a communal stratification positioning Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islanders at the bottommost level. In the creation of racial harmony, along with the
governmental leaders even we have played our part in everyday life. Frequently people
are idle spectators to discrimination; because they are unaware and unsure of what
action should they perform. Though now I am aware of racism and discrimination, and
understand how badly it hurts to get victimized in your individual country, I will support
the people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who are discriminated. Formerly
learning this chapter, I had negligible information regarding the past of Aboriginal
individuals of Australia. Thus, this chapter has developed my prospectus regarding their
past. I will try my best to help them deliver culturally proficient nurture care. In my
motherland, measurement of health is conducted according to physical, emotional and
mental health including Aboriginal Australians, who also consider their community,
country and family in the provided list.
Analysis
Considering the importance of the subject, it is vital to extract the structures of
occasions, which is responsible for the present racism. Indigenous and Torres Strait
Islanders, after being inhabited were enforced to abolish the crucial foundations

concerning their beliefs and grow the values and principles of white people (Australia’s
rural, remote and Indigenous health, 2016). White people always had the sensation of
dominance and they enforced many administration guidelines to constrain Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islanders. White people also acquired govern over their strategies, life
and land of Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander’s (Sherwood, 2013). The belief of
discrimination is transferred from one generation to another generation, and is still
currently dominant.
Conclusion
I have now realized that Indigenous and Torres Strait Islanders have witnessed
sufferings, which include assimilation, colonization and marginalization. In
accumulation, the condition has not developed significantly, with uninterrupted
discernment in the arena of education, health, employment and housing. It is due to the
sensation of grief, powerlessness, sorrow and loss that has triggered them to convert
into disinclined to look for help from educational and health institutions. Subsequently, it
has also exaggerated their well-being initiating them to undergo suffer due to increased
proportions of depression, suicide, personal-harm, and psychological health difficulties.
Likewise, as Indigenous and Torres Strait Islanders are frightened about what has
occurred with them in the preceding, they require exceptional attention to uplift their
self-confidence.
Action Plan
Since now, I know the history regarding the Indigenous and Torres Strait
Islanders and the effect of such proceedings on their health, once I am a registered

nurse (RN), I will be ready to stand with them whenever possible and try my best to help
them. In addition I will try my best to provide them appropriate service concerning their
culturally belief and sustaining their respect and dignity that will aid them to reinstate
their confidence in the wellbeing structure. As specified in NMBA (2016) Code of
Conduct 3.1, I will deliver effective care to them without any bias, knowledge and racism
by acknowledging the significance of community and family in the whole fitness
attention of the Indigenous and Torres Strait Islanders. Moreover, I will be sure of
gaining a common knowledge regarding various cultures and philosophy and will
actively contribute on traditional training curriculums at my workstation in order to
inaugurate a traditionally safe and secure nursing site for obtaining improved well-being
consequence of Indigenous and Torres Strait Islanders.

References
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. (2014). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Health Performance Framework 2014 Report. Retrieved from
https://www.pmc.gov.au/sites/default/files/publications/indigenous/Health-Performance-
Framework-2014/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-health-performance-framework-
2014-report/racism-and.html
Morris, B. (2013). Protest, land rights and riots postcolonial struggles in Australia in the
1980s. Canberra, Australia: Aboriginal Studies Press.
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. (2018). Codes of Conduct. Retrieved from
http://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines-Statements/Professional-
standards.aspx
Sherwood, J. (2013). Colonisation – It’s bad for your health: The context of Aboriginal health.
Contemporary Nurse. 46(1). 28-40. doi: 10.5172/conu.2013.46.1.28
Smith, J. D. (2016). Australia's rural, remote and Indigenous health (3rd ed.).
Chatswood, Australia: Elsevier