Impact of Racism on the Health of Australian Aboriginal Peoples

This article explores the impact of racism on the health of Australian Aboriginal peoples. It discusses the inequalities they face in accessing resources and healthcare due to discrimination in society. The article highlights the role of racism in causing physical and mental illness among Aboriginal peoples and emphasizes the need for a fair society free of racism for positive health outcomes.

In module 7 Race and Racism, I was intrigued by how racism causes inequalities
in health of Australians Aboriginal peoples’. I learnt that racism leads to
discrimination in society that causes physical and mental illness amongst
Aboriginal peoples’. Racism against Aboriginal peoples’ affects health by reducing
access to societal resources like employment, medical care, education and
housing as well as inequitable exposure to risk factors and injuries from racially
motivated assaults. Statistics show that 35% of Indigenous Australians who are
aged above 15years were unfairly treated in a span of 12 months in a social survey
undertaken in 2014-2015 (Lentin, 2017).
Before the studying this topic, I believed that Aboriginal peoples’ health issues
were as a result of their own culture and practices such as unhealthy behaviours. I
thought that they are not hardworking which made them less competitive, hence
having few resources and opportunities in society. These beliefs made me feel
disappointed in them. White privilege and stereotypes dominate the society
worldview that discriminates against the minority Aboriginal People (Paradies,
2016). The policies also disproportionately affect the Aboriginal Peoples’ in relation
to their health and living (Shepherd, Li, Cooper, Hopkins, & Farrant, 2017). After
learning about racism and health, I felt ashamed that I had believed Aboriginal
peoples’ health issues were caused by their own culture and other practices. In the
module, I realized that the health issues in Aboriginal peoples’ are caused by
racism in the society. The Aboriginal people have no or limited choice as they are

dominated by the mainstream Australian society (Markwick, Ansari, Clinch, &
McNeil, 2019).
The issue of race and racism is overlooked in current society although, there
seems to be less racism than in the past generations (Paradies, 2016). Due to my
lack of knowledge I did not understand how racism continually impacts health of
Australian Indigenous peoples’. Therefore, I thought the way I did because I
overlooked the issues of racism and used the Non-Indigenous Australians’
viewpoint on the issues that face the Aboriginal peoples’.
My response to the issue of race and racism was as a result of limited
understanding and consideration. I did not know about institutional, cultural and
environmental racism and how they impact the health of certain population in the
society. Racial discrimination plays a role in distribution of societal resources and
exposure to risk factors and injuries that are racially motivated (Martin et al., 2017).
My previous opinions about Aboriginal peoples’ health and racism were based on
my own perception of health and the belief that individuals have the responsibility
of maintaining their own health. However, my new perceptions were formed after
reading about the cultural practices of Aboriginal peoples’ and how racism affected
their health. Nicholson, Borland, Couzos, Stevens, and Thomas, (2015) explained
how Aboriginal peoples’ beliefs and traditional practices lead to health problems
such as smoking habits, anxiety and spread of communicable disease. However,
due to my understanding and a study by Nicholson et al (2015), I have learnt in the

topic that most health problems among the Aboriginal people have been
continually caused by racism. Therefore, the prevailing situations that lead to
adverse health outcome among Aboriginals People are as a result of racism in the
Australian society.
Racism against Aboriginal people still exists in the Australian society and adversely
affects their health. Systematic, environmental and cultural racism against
Aboriginal Peoples’ are the basis of their health problems.Therefore, nurses should
understand and consider racism and how it impacts health of Aboriginal
people.Furthermore, there is a need for nurses to advocate for a fair society free of
racism to ensure positive health outcomes amongst Indigenous Australians.
I have gained knowledge about racism and how it determines health of Aboriginal
people. I have been able to re-examine my perception and historical knowledge
about Aboriginal people and understand the pathway between racism and poor-
health amongst Indigenous Australians. I must continually examine issues and
their impact on the health of a population and avoid forming opinions that are
influenced by dominant viewpoints. Instead I should research and use evidence
based literature to improve my knowledge. I will also visit to rural areas to learn
more about Aboriginal people culture. These actions will make me more informed
about racism and the health of Aboriginal peoples’. In my future career as a nurse,
I will advocate for equalities in the health system of Australian and a society free of
any type of racial discrimination for improved health outcomes. Moreover, in
nursing profession cultural safety is most important to provide the best care to
patient by giving respect to their cultures, beliefs, health, behaviours and practices.

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia 2018, states that nurses should provide
holistic care to Aboriginal peoples’ which is free from bias and racism and respect
their beliefs. As a nurse I will apply this holistic approach of nursing care to
optimise care delivery to Aboriginal Peoples’.

References
Lentin, A. (2017). (Not) doing race:‘casualracism’,‘bystanderantiracism’and
‘ordinariness’ in Australian racism studies(Eds). Critical Reflections on
Migration,‘Race’and Multiculturalism: Australia in a Global Context, 125-
142.http://handle.westernsydney.edu.au:8081/1959.7/uws:41158
Markwick, A., Ansari, Z., Clinch, D., & McNeil, J. (2019). Experiences of racism
among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults living in the Australian
state of Victoria: a cross-sectional population-based study. BMC public
health, 19(1), 309. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-6614-7
Martin, K., Dono, J., Rigney, N., Rayner, J., Sparrow, A., Miller, C., ... & Bowden, J.
(2017). Barriers and facilitators for health professionals referring aboriginal
and Torres Strait islander tobacco smokers to the Quitline. Australian and
New Zealand journal of public health, 41(6), 631-634.
https://doi.org/10.1111/1753-6405.12727
Nicholson, A. K., Borland, R., Couzos, S., Stevens, M., & Thomas, D. P. (2015).
Smoking‐related knowledge and health risk beliefs in a national sample of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Medical Journal of
Australia, 202(S10), S45-S50https://doi.org/10.5694/mja14.00877
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia - Registered nurse standards for practice.
(2018). Retrieved from https://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/codes-
guidelines-statements/professional-standards.aspx

Paradies, Y. (2016). Colonisation, racism and indigenous health. Journal of
Population Research, 33(1), 83-96.http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12546-016-
9162-3.
Shepherd, C. C., Li, J., Cooper, M. N., Hopkins, K. D., & Farrant, B. M. (2017). The
impact of racial discrimination on the health of Australian Indigenous
children aged 5–10 years: analysis of national longitudinal
data. International journal for equity in health, 16(1),
116.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-017-0612-0