Contemporary Health Impacts of Colonisation and Assimilation Policies on Australia's First People

This presentation discusses the impact of Colonisation and Assimilation policies on the health of First Australians and how it affected their relationship with healthcare professionals. It also highlights the current health discrepancies and gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

CONTEMPORARY HEALTH IMPACTS OF COLONISATION
AND ASSIMILATION POLICIES ON AUSTRALIA'S FIRST
PEOPLE
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29/08/2024

Introduction
 The objective of this presentation is to discuss how
the policies framed during the Colonisation Era
(1788 to 1880) and Assimilation Era (1950 to 1960)
have affected the contemporary health of the First
Australians
 Also, how such policies have affected the building of
a trusting relationship between the First Australians
and Healthcare Professionals (alrc.gov.au., 2018).
 The presentation outlines the policies and their
effects on the First Islanders and how that affected
their health and well being.
 This can help to understand the challenges created
in the development of a trusting relationship,
providing a historical context on these problems.
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Colonisation Era (1788-1880) and its impact
 During this time, the European settlers in Australia
claimed the land was inhabitable or ‘terra nullius’.
 At this point, any attempts made by the indigenous Aboriginal
population against the European occupation was considered as an
act of rebellion against Great Britain.
 This ‘act of rebellion’ was then used to rationalise the occupation of
the land and the dispossession of the people
(australianstogether.org.au, 2018).
 In 1788, Admiral Arthur Philip of Great Britain proclaimed
Australia to be a British sovereign property.
 The norm of setting up colonies was normal for the
contemporary European countries.
 Policies during this era was aimed towards the appropriation of
Aboriginal homelands
 It also tried to either ‘domesticate’ or ‘exterminate’ the Aboriginals
 This caused sickness among the population s and also caused a loss
of their culture, traditions, language and leadership as well as the
ancient Aboriginal laws.
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Assimilation Era (1950 to 1960) and its impact
 This era started more than 150 years after the colonisation
of Australia by Europeans.
 It succeeded the White Australia Policy and Protection by
Segregation policy both of which marginalised the Aboriginal
population, incorporated European Cultural values in Australia as
the National Identity of the nation and forced the segregation of the
Aboriginals from their homelands into reserves and missions.
 Policies made during this time was aimed to replace the
old Segregation Policies (Aimed to separate the Aboriginal
population from European population) made during 1890’s
to 1950’s.
 The policy was framed with the understanding that the Aboriginal
populations were not getting exterminated, and hence they should
be given the option to ‘assimilate’ to the European culture.
 This was made on the assumption that the Aboriginal Australians
should be able to adapt to the European lifestyle, customs, laws and
traditions, just like any other non-indigenous Australians
(australianstogether.org.au., 2018).
 The policy was basically aimed to convert Aboriginals into
‘Europeans with Black Skins’
 This was a systematic racial discrimination. Genocide according to
the International Human Laws
 The segregation policies continued till 1965 in
Queensland.
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Effects of Colonisation and Assimilation policies on
contemporary health of first Australians
 Colonisation Era:
 This era heralded the dispossession and oppression of Indigenous
Australian population.
 The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations were the targets
for the policies during this era and it aimed to remove the population
from their homelands as well as their natural resources in a deliberate
and systematic manner.
 The policies also aimed to denigrate and eradicate the indigenous
cultures including their cultural traditions, customs, ancient wisdoms
and their language.
 Due to the loss of their culture, traditions and their access to
natural resources, the health of the population were
severely affected, and they also affected by the diseases
brought by the European settlers.
 According to Governor Philip, almost half of the indigenous population
in Sydney was eradicated due to small pox, in a span of just 14 months
of the arrival of the First Fleet to Australia.
 Venereal diseases also spread in epidemic proportions among the
indigenous populations caused by the sexual abuse and exploitation of
indigenous girls (Axelsson, Kukutai & Kippen, 2016)
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Effects of Colonisation and Assimilation policies on
contemporary health of first Australians.... (contd.)
 Impact of the Colonisation of Australia (in the Colonial Era) had a
devastating effect on the Indigenous populations of Aboriginals and
Torres Strait Islanders, who were living on the continent for thousands
of years before the arrival of the Europeans.
 Before British settlements, the number of Indigenous groups in Australia exceeded
500 and the total indigenous population exceeded 75,000.
 Within 10 years of the arrival of the convict crew, brought by Captain Philip, the
population of Indigenous Australians reduced by 90%. The main reasons of the decline
in their population were:
 New diseases introduced by the settlers
 Indigenous lands being acquired by the sellers, thereby displacing them
 Violent conflicts that ensued, between the settlers trying to occupy the land and the
indigenous population trying to protect their livelihoods (healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au., 2018).
 The main diseases that resulted in the decrease in the Indigenous
population were small pox, measles, influenza as well as venereal
diseases.
 Not only the indigenous territories were invaded, but also their game
was driven back due to the occupation, and valuable roots such as
marnong was eaten by the livestock brought by the settlers thereby
causing deprivation of resources for the indigenous people.
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Effects of Colonisation and Assimilation policies on
contemporary health of first Australians.... (contd.)
 Assimilation Era:
 Exemption Certificates
 From 1940 to 1960’s the state governments started to issue Exemption Certificates to the
Indigenous Australians
 These were basically citizenship rights issued for the Indigenous people which were mainly
enjoyed by the non native people at the time
 The exemption certificates gave them the right to vote, attend schools, enter hotels, and be
exempted from state imposed restrictions on the indigenous people based on the State Aboriginal
Protection Laws
 However, to get the exemption certificates, the indigenous people were required to abandon all
associations with their communities, culture, lifestyle and their way of life.
 The certificates also forced these people to give up their indigenous identities to obtain the basic
freedom that were enjoyed by the other Australians (naccho.org.au., 2018)
 Individuals given the exemption certificates were banned from travelling to Aboriginal Reserve
Areas even if it was to visit relatives
 This interfered with their way of life as well as the kinship and community ties.
 The individuals were required to show their certificates in order to stay and travel in public places
and was also used to humiliate , discriminate and shame them.
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Effects of Colonisation and Assimilation policies on
contemporary health of first Australians.... (contd.)
 Being removed from their culture, traditions,
lifestyle and way of life adversely affected their
health and well being.
 Traditionally, the Indigenous people lived
through their connection to the land and its
natural resources, that helped them to survive
the extreme conditions in Australia.
 This resulted in significant health discrepancies,
and increased the incidence of several diseases
and risk factors among the Australian Indigenous
Populations. The health discrepancies includes:
 Shorter life expectancy
 High rate of infant mortality (nhmrc.gov.au., 2018)
 Poorer health
 Lower levels of employment and education
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How the historic inequalities have resulted in the
current health discrepancies and health gaps:
 The historic inequalities faced by the Aboriginal and Torres
Strait islander people have resulted in significant discrepancies
and gaps in the health and well being compared to that of the
non native Australians. The health discrepancies includes:
 Life expectancy and infant mortality rates:
 Indigenous children between the ages 0 and 4 are twice likely to die than non
indigenous children
 Non Indigenous children have longer life expectancies (84 years) compared to
indigenous children (73 years).
 The gap in the health expectancies is grater for men, with non indigenous
having life expectancy of 79.9 years and for indigenous men, 69.1 years (more
than 10 years gap).
 Physical and Mental health:
 Levels of malnutrition 1.7 times higher for indigenous Australians
 Hospitalization rates for chronic conditions higher for Indigenous Australians
(twice the rate for circulatory diseases and 11 times for kidney diseases).
 Almost 45% indigenous Australians above 15 years age have experienced
disabilities compared to 18.5% for the whole Australian population (Rix et al.
2013)
 Suicide rates for Indigenous population is double compared to non indigenous
population
 33% of indigenous adults have high levels of psychological trauma.
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Health Discrepancies (Contd...)
Risk Factors and Health
Conditions
Rate s
among
Indigen
ous
Populat
ion
Rate s
among
Non-
Indigen
ous
Popula
tion
Overweight and Obese Adults 71.4% 63.4%
Obese Adults 41.7% 27.9%
Adults not meeting physical activity
recommendations
65% 44.5%
High Blood Pressure 20.4% 16%
Blood Cholesterol 25% 24.6%
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Impact of the policies on building trustful and
respectful relationships with the First Peoples and
Health Professionals
 Owing to the historical injustice that was faced by
the Indigenous populations in Australia, they lost
their trust on the State Authorities and also if
affected their health behaviour.
 The historic inequalities caused several impacts on
the lives of the indigenous people:
 Emotional Impact caused by their personal and families
experiences
 Barriers in developing skills of survival due to isolation
from their family, kin and communities
 Lack of trust on Government Institutions (Tolhurst et al.,
2016)
 This prevented them from seeking medical help and thus
increase the incidence of diseases and chronic conditions
among the population.
 The differences resulted in the alienation and
discrimination of the indigenous population, due to which
they shied from the non-indigenous population
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Impact of the policies on building trustful and respectful
relationships with the First Peoples and Health Professionals...
(Contd.)
 Such aspects challenged the development of
a trustful relation between the indigenous
populations and the healthcare professionals
 To overcome these barriers, healthcare
providers needs to:
 Develop cultural awareness and competencies to
understand the culture of the aboriginals and
develop culturally sensitive approach to help them.
 Respond to the social complexities (who.int, 2018)
 Promote empowerment, trust and rapport with the
indigenous communities
 Develop rigidity in the service design for healthcare
delivery
 Reduce inadequacies in screening and diagnosis
 Prevent discrimination and racism
(Rix et al., 2013)
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Summary
 The historic injustice faced by the indigenous Australian
population was caused because of the systematic
discrimination and dissociation of the indigenous people
from their homeland and culture
 Diseases brought by the settlers along with the
inequalities faced by them almost obliterated their
culture and history
 This further increased the incidence of health risks and
diseases among the population
 Due to such historic injustice the indigenous have less
trust on government authorities and healthcare
professionals
 It is important to recognise such historic inequalities
and their cultural sensitivities in order to gain back that
lost trust
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References
alrc.gov.au., (2018). Aboriginal Societies: The Experience of Contact, retrieved on July 9 2018, from:
https://www.alrc.gov.au/publications/3.%20Aboriginal%20Societies%3A%20The%20Experience%20of%20Contact/impacts-settlement-
aboriginal-people
australianstogether.org.au (2018), Indigenous Disadvantage in Austrlia, retrieved on: 20 July, 2018, from:
https://www.australianstogether.org.au/discover/the-wound/indigenous-disadvantage-in-australia
australianstogether.org.au., (2018), What about history? How our history of invasion and social control impacts today. Retrieved on 9 July
2018, from: https://www.australianstogether.org.au/discover/australian-history/get-over-it/
Axelsson, P., Kukutai, T., & Kippen, R. (2016). The field of Indigenous health and the role of colonisation and history. Journal of Population
Research, 33(1), 1-7.
healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au., (2018), Overview of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health status. Retrieved on July 9 2018, from:
https://healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/learn/health-facts/overview-aboriginal-torres-strait-islander-health-status/
naccho.org.au., (2018), Aboriginal Health- The ongoing crisis in Indigenous health is due to generations of neglect, lack of cohesive public
policy and failure to provide sufficient resources and ensure that they reach people on the ground. Retrieved on July 9 2018, from:
https://www.naccho.org.au/about/aboriginal-health/
nhmrc.gov.au., (2018), Indigenous Health: Understanding the health Gap. Retrieved on July 9 2018, from: https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/nhmrc-
in-focus/awards/indigenous-health-understanding-health-gap
Rix, E. F., Barclay, L., Wilson, S., Stirling, J., & Tong, A. (2013). Service providers’ perspectives, attitudes and beliefs on health services
delivery for Aboriginal people receiving haemodialysis in rural Australia: a qualitative study. BMJ open, 3(10), e003581.
Tolhurst, P., Lindberg, R., Calder, R., & de Courten, M. (2016). Australia's Health Tracker 2016: A report card on preventable chronic diseases,
conditions and their risk factors: Tracking progress for a healthier Australia by 2025.
who.int (2018), Australia’s disturbing health disparities set Aboriginals apart. Retrieved on July 9 2018, from:
http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/86/4/08-020408/en/
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THANK YOU
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