Historical Impacts on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People

This presentation discusses the historical impacts on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, including the need for constitutional reform and important changes in legislation. It explores strategies to close the gap and support the indigenous community. The presentation also highlights the significance of communication in addressing racial impacts and promoting cultural safety.

MY HISTORY
• I am Phoebe Smith.
• I am an international student.
• During my high-school, I used to play rugby
• I had played some matches in Gold-coast of
Queensland, Australia.
• I interacted with the Aboriginal people during the
Rugby matches I played with the Murri Community.

UNDERSTANDING
My understanding was formed from the communication I have done
with the people of Murri community when I was residing there for
rugby matches. Further, Brad a good friend of mine with whom I used
to play rugby with is so close to me. He helped me in gaining
understanding of the Aboriginal and Torres Islander culture. This
knowledge which I gained from Brad changed my perspectives in a
positive manner for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. I
observed that like rest Australians they also possess right to get equal
opportunities for receiving health services and cultural safety.

HISTORICAL IMPACTS
The need for the constitutional reform for the aboriginal community is
required to enrich the identity of the nation and to protect the rights of all
the Australians. Further, this need is necessary for advancing the
reconciliation. The history of the Australian constitution changes is wider
in context to the changes associated with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander people.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

SOME REFORMS
 Some important constitutional changes relevant to the indigenous
people are as follows:
 1948: Tag of Australian Citizen was granted.
 1962: The commonwealth electoral act to give vote to all aboriginal
and Torres strait islander people.
 1967: Counting of the indigenous people in the national census.
 1991: The council for the Aboriginal reconciliation is established.
 2006: The "Close the gap" campaign to achieve equality in health
and life expectancy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
 2008: Apology of the present prime minister from the stolen
generation on behalf of Australian government and people.

"Close the gap"
The ways in which one can close the gap involves:
• By committing to the government and other major political parties to take actions
by signing the formal statement of intent.
• Providing additional funds for the betterment of the indigenous people to the
COAG.
• By having an intention to work with the NGOs and other organisation which are
working for providing health support to the indigenous people.
• By enhancing the meaning partnership between the indigenous and non-
indigenous communities to amplify the health services.
• The implementation of health support plan for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander people.
• Controlled health services for the Aboriginal community.
• Proper way to address the critical social issues that impact on the indigenous
health.

SPECIFIC IMPACTS
There are various fundamental long term impacts on Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander people because of some issues such as European
settlement, health and disease, racism and discrimination, importance
of law and kinship.

European Settlement
European Settlement: This agreement leads to severe impacts on the
aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The short term effects
includes the:
 Dispossession
 Disease
 Violent Conflict

European Settlement Cont.
Besides these, the long-term
effects of the European settlement
involves the following:
 Diseases
 Land
 Agriculture

Health and Disease
One of the biggest challenge that has been faced by the Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander people was introduction to the diseases which were
previously unknown. The effect was so severe that it accounted for
around sixty percent deaths of the indigenous people. However, a strong
resistance was observed in the Europeans of the diseases such as
bronchitises, measles, scarlet fever, etc.

Racism and Discrimination:
The effect of these factors on the health of the indigenous people involves
the:
• Reduced and limited access to the required health sources.
• Inequitable exposures to the outer environment that can assist in the
employment, education, medical care, etc.
• Assaults that leads to the medical injury
• Disengagement from the healthy activities.
• Negative impacts on the health such as stress and mental illness due to
the discrimination.

Importance of law and kinship in Aboriginal
communities
The laws for the indigenous people have provided them with the equal
opportunities. In addition to this, these regulations imposed by the
government are the major driver for their upliftment in the society. The
laws based on the cultural safety renders the indigenous community
with the health support which was no other way possible. Besides this,
different campaigns are also fruitful for gaining benefits for the
Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islander people.

Strategies used to support and engage
The research material was
collected or identified from
feedbacks, effective
communication, writing cultures,
PDFs, peer reviewed journals,
government websites and several
other protocols. Collection of data
was neither difficult nor easy.

SIGNIFICANCE OF COMMUNICATION
For eradication of negative racial impacts over Torres and aboriginal
people adoption of communication is very crucial. Strategies are
formulated to develop efficiency and effectiveness under this
discussions. Study has depicted that people under aboriginal and Torres
strait are illiterate and lacks communication skills. Therefore to interact
among them was a big challenge.

Communication for Support strategies
To provide support towards
affected people communication
strategies were formulated in such
a way that it has enhanced their
knowledge and capability in
demanding cultural safety to their
livelihood.

Evalauation of effectiveness
Effectiveness of collected materials can be evaluated by generating
feedbacks among affected persons, gathering information through
surveys, delivering clear instructions and by comparing previous
collected data with the current one. By collecting different perspectives
of the people, the understanding of the effectiveness of the process can
be achieved.

Cultural safety and effectiveness in health
services.
Research has identified that adoption of health care services are
beneficial for both human factors that is colleagues and clients because
it develops awareness about safety factors, create recognition among
society, develops their welfare and well being and also aids in
achieving their livelihood.

DELIVERING HEALTH SERVICES
Australian government has established the policies that theses safety
measures should be applicable to every persons rather than just
concerning about indigenous persons

Cont.
Strategies that should be adopted for understanding safety of culture among
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander includes- development of trusts among
affected persons, communication undertaken under respectful, clear,
valuable and openness.
Another effective strategy in understanding Aboriginal and Torres Strait
personnel is to engage among them under two way dialogue system which
is beneficial in gathering relevant information which are shared between
different groups of individual who possess different perceptions regarding
promotion of cultural safety under Australian community.

REFERENCES
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REFRENCES
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REFERENCES
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Online
Communication Strategies. (2017). [pdf]. Available through:
<https://www.apsc.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0013/70033/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-
cultural-capability-framework.pdf> [Accessed on 11th september 2017]

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