slideshow two - the struggle for aboriginal and torres strait islander rights

what does Terra Nullius mean

it means ‘nobody’s land’, the false claim that australia belonged to no one when the british arrived

why did the birtish declare australia terra nullius

they didn’t recognise aboriginal farming, permanent settlement, or cultural systems, so they assume the land was empty.

what worldview did british colonisers hold

a eurocentric worldview, believing european culture was superior

what were two major impacts of colonisation on first nations people

destruction of culture and mass deaths from violence and disease.

what ideas shaped early public policy

segregation and assimilation, based on the belief that aboriginal people were inferior.

what were aboriginal protection boards

government bodies created to control aboriginal populations, including removing children

who was responsible for aboriginal affairs after federation

state government - the commonwealth took no responsibility

name two rights aboriginal peoples were denied at federation

they couldn’t vote federally and weren’t counted in the census

why weren’t aboriginal people counted in the population

the constitution explicitly excluded them

why were aboriginal people excluded from voting in 1901

a senate amendment claimed aboriginal votes would ‘swamp’ elections

what does matheson’s speech reveal about attitudes at the time

deep racism, belief in a ‘white mans country’, and the idea that aboriginal people were ‘dying out’

what were reserves, stations and missions

places where aboriginal people were moved to be controlled and assimilated

what was the role of christian missions

to convert aboriginal people and assimilate them into european culture

why were these policies called ‘protection’

they claimed to ‘protect’ first peoples but actually aimed to segregate them until ‘full-bloods died out’

what were blood quantums

offensive classifications like ‘half-caste’ used to control aboriginal people

who are the stolen generations

aboriginal and torres strait islander children forcibly removed from their families (late 1800s-1970s)

what was the aim of removing children

assimilation - to make them adopt white culture and forget their heritage

what happened to many of these children

many never saw their families again

what is rabbit proof fence about

three girls - molly, daisy, gracie - escape a government institution and walk 1,600km home

why were they taken

under the WA aborigines act, the chief protector was their legal guardian

what happened to gracie

she was captured and never saw her cousins again

what were ‘colour bars’

bans stopping aboriginal people from entering pubs, clubs, theatres, pools, etc

what other restrictions existed

lower wages, job bans, separate hospital wards, and school exclusion

until when did many segregation practices continue

into the 1960s, helping spark the civil rights movement