Economics Assignment 2022

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200425: ECONOMICS ASSIGNMENT 2: Q3 2019

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Contents
Introduction..............................................................................................................................3
Process of colonization linked to aboriginal history................................................................3
Issues that have arisen for the indigenous Australians as a result of colonisation..................3
Analysis of the critical issues..................................................................................................4
The course of action and the justification................................................................................4
Conclusion...............................................................................................................................5
Reference.................................................................................................................................6

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Introduction
Australian aboriginals and Torres Strait Islander people are the main natives of the modern
country of Australia. The forefathers of the current generations of the Australians invaded the
living space of these natives and exploited them by pressurising them to adhere to the external
laws brought by them. The thesis statement of this study is that the objective of this paper is to
provide a supporting discussion for the thesis statement of this paper. The paper presents a
discussion of the aboriginal exploitation and followed by an analysis that will lead to the
solutions and the course of action for consolidating the thesis statement.
Process of colonization linked to aboriginal history
Before the British settlement in Australia and other islands in the nearby area, there were around
500 indigenous natives groups. Altman (2018) stated that the total number of indigenous people
across all groups would be more than 750000. However, to deal with the increased prisoner in
the mainland UK, and to expand the empire, this modern-day Australia was invaded. It brought
in a lot of trouble for the native Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islander people as British settlers
directly confronted the natives. Apart from that, the settlers also brought deceases that reduced
the number of natives in the land. Holzinger and Biddle (2019) noted that the illegal acquisition
of lands was the main reason for the confrontation of the unequal forces. Since then, the native
people of Australia have been exploited by the forefathers of current Australians. Economically
that has been excluded which have resulted in an unequal development between the settlers and
the native people of Australia. The representations of the native people in the administration of
the country have also remained low in the previous years and hence their voices have never
reached to the government. Consequently, the number of native people across different groups
have either reduced or remained the same over the years. Martin (2018) noted that the exclusion
of Australian native people has not only harmed the lives of these people but it has also reduced
the potential of the Australian economy as well.
Issues that have arisen for the indigenous Australians as a result of colonisation
For the last two centuries, the indigenous people have been kept out from the mainstream
economy of Australia. Therefore, they have not only left out from the economic development of
Australia, but their skills also have not developed as well. According to Holland (2018), one of
the biggest difference between the native Australians and the settlers in this day is productivity.

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The skill differences have reduced the values of labours of indigenous people. Therefore in terms
of the business perspective, the indigenous people are not fitting in the economic scenario of
Australia.
Apart from that, in terms of the business context, the native people of Australia have lost out on
the overall development of the country. Therefore, the income of the native people has not
increased over time. Thus, the market developed goods and the services have failed to reach to
the native families of Australia. Georges et al. (2017) stated that, economically, the resource
allocation has not been just in Australia as the natives have been out of the mainstream economic
system for more than 2 centuries now. In the future, if the inclusion is done by the government of
Australia, the number of native people in the country will reduce which will be the violation of
human rights. Additionally, the colonisation by the settlers has reduced the available resources of
the native people as well. Thus, unlike other parts of the world, the native people of Australia
have failed to capitalise on agricultural production.
Analysis of the critical issues
One of the biggest issues that have been mentioned above is the exclusion of the native people
from the mainstream economy of Australia. The Australian economy has developed over the
year since the settlers came, however, native people were kept out of it. Therefore, unlike the
other people of the country, the income did not increase for the native Australians. This, in turn,
reduced the living standard and hence the number of native Australians has almost remained the
same over the years. This has also resulted in a difference in living quality among the settlers and
the natives which in turn gave rise to racial discrimination and exclusion of the native people.
Another important issue that has been mentioned in this study is the low level of the skill set of
the aboriginals and the people of Torres Strait Island. According to, Townsend et al. (2018)
globalisation have increased the required skills among the workers. Therefore, aboriginals find it
tough to enter the labour of Australia. This, in turn, has lowered the family income of them and
hence the living standard has not improved. Discrimination and racial exclusion have also
increased due to the huge differences in the living standard between the settlers and the native
people of Australia.

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The course of action and the justification
The requirement in the Uluru statement says it requires reform in the constitution so that the
voices of the native people are heard. It wants a commission that takes responsibility for the
development of the native people so that they can cope with the rest of the people of the country.
However to implement the requirement the course of action from the side of the government
needs to be in line with the requirements. First and foremost the awareness needs to be increased
among the general population of Australia regarding the hardships of the aboriginals and the
people of Torres Strait Island (Walter, 2016). The justification behind this action lies in the fact
that it will eliminate the racial discrimination that has emerged due to the differences in the
economic conditions. Apart from that, to fulfil the requirement, the government also needs to
introduce special reservation policy for a limited period so that at least a single generation of the
aboriginals can be brought to the mainstream. This will set the flow for the aboriginals and they
will be able to mix up with the settlers. Lastly, the government can provide small loan and other
capital benefits to the native people so that, they can scale up their business and improve the
quality so that it fits with the needs of the market of Australia. This way some of the native
people of the country can make a living and help reduce the gap between the living standard
between the settlers and the native people of Australia.
Conclusion
Therefore, for the betterment of the economic condition of the native Australians exclusion needs
to be done. This requires the elimination of racial discrimination and profiling. However, racial
discrimination comes from the identity of racial supremacy that is often self-proclaimed. The
notion of racial supremacy gives rise to discrimination and hate. As long as the racial identity
comes in the decision making of the human being, there will be racial bias and hence the
discrimination in the society. That will, in turn, result in an unequal development across different
races of the country. Therefore, the government of Australia needs to bring structural changes in
the constitution of the country. This will allow more inclusion and right to the native people of
the country. However, the study has furnished the course of action along with the justification. It
shows that awareness needs to be increased among the people of the country so that racial
profiling and discrimination can be reduced. Apart from that, capital infusion and support from
the side of the government can also uplift the standard of living of the aboriginals and the Torres
Strait Islanders. This way both the economy of Australia and economic condition of the

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aboriginal people will benefit from each other breaking the shackles of racial supremacy
engraved by the forefathers of the British settlers thereby bringing comprehensive and inclusive
prosperity in the country of Australia.
Reference
Altman, J., 2018. The Future of Indigenous Australia: Is there a path beyond the free market or
welfare dependency? Pp. 56-89
Georges, N., Guthridge, S.L., Li, S.Q., Condon, J.R., Barnes, T. and Zhao, Y., 2017. Progress in
closing the gap in life expectancy at birth for Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory, 1967–
2012. Medical Journal of Australia, 207(1), pp.25-30.
Holland, C., 2018. A ten-year review: the Closing the Gap Strategy and Recommendations for
Reset. [Australian Human Rights Commission], the Close the Gap Campaign Steering
Committee for Indigenous Health Equality, pp. 98-136
Holzinger, L.A. and Biddle, N., 2019. Regional trends and the case of Mexico's Indigenous
people. Routledge Handbook of Indigenous Wellbeing, pp. 79-113
Martin, D.F., 2018. The supply of alcohol in remote Aboriginal communities: potential policy
directions from Cape York. Canberra, ACT: Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research
(CAEPR), The Australian National University, pp. 26-354
Townsend, C., White, P., Cullen, J., Wright, C.J. and Zeeman, H., 2018. Making every
Australian count: challenges for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and the equal
inclusion of homeless Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples with neurocognitive
disability. Australian Health Review, 42(2), pp.227-229.
Walter, M., 2016. Social exclusion/inclusion for urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
people. Social Inclusion, 4(1), pp.68-76.