Unit 3 Area of Study 1Community

“The place of community in the development of government policies

affecting people of non-English speaking backgrounds or Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander peoples”

Indigenous peoples are the ‘original’ residents and owners of a land at the time of colonisation (Holmes, Hughes & Julian 2007).

Today, the federal government defines an Aboriginal person as someone who:◦ is of Aboriginal descent;◦ identifies as an Aboriginal person; and◦ is accepted as an Aboriginal person by the community

in which he or she lives (AHRC 2008) Torres Strait Islander peoples come from the

islands of the Torres Strait, between the tip of Cape York in Queensland and Papua New Guinea.

Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders are also referred to as ‘Indigenous peoples’.

Use a capital ‘A’ and ‘I’ when referring to Australia’s Indigenous peoples and Aborigines.

Use a small ‘a’ and ‘i’ when referring to the terms in a general context.

Adding ‘people’ to ATSI is a collective name to acknowledge the diversity of language, cultural practices and spiritual beliefs.

The federal Labour Government led by Prime Minister Gough Whitlam adopted the policy of ‘self-determination’ for Indigenous communities in 1972.

This policy was described as ‘Aboriginal communities deciding the pace and nature of their future development as significant components within a diverse Australia’.

It recognised that Indigenous peoples had a right to be involved in decision making about their own lives (AHRC 2008).

Aka bottom up approach.

The federal Coalition Government led by Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser, which came to power in late 1975, adopted the policy of ‘self-management’.

This policy focused on Indigenous communities managing some government projects and funding locally, but with little say in what projects would be created.

The Hawke and Keating Labor Governments from 1983-1966 used both self-determination and self-management as key principles in their Indigenous affairs policies.

The Coalition Government led by Prime Minister John Howard from 1996 reverted to a policy of self-management (AHRC 2008).

Aka top down approach.

ATSI peoples◦ Read the handouts about policies affecting ATSI

peoples. Why is a National Indigenous Representative Body

important? Is the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples an

example of self-determination or self-management?  People from a NESB

◦ Conduct your own research relating to the development of government policies that affect people from a NESB community. Muslim-Australians would be a good choice given the

amount of research available.

Write a definition of the following term in your glossary:◦ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (ATSI)