Addressing indigenous australian social exclusion: A strategic praxis approach to research and the provision of social services

Abstract

Indigenous Australians have been the object of much academic interest since Anglo-Europeans first came into contact with them and they have become the subjects of intense research - prompting claims that they are the most researched peoples in the world. Early research portrayed Indigenous Australians as subhuman, bereft of technology, organized social systems, codes of law and any trappings of civilization. The initial focus upon Indigenous Australians was to civilise them and bring them into the 'brotherhood of man' through science and religion, although it was not expected that they would participate equally. They were considered to be unevolved. Aboriginal ('original man'), without the developed mental capacities to take full advantage of the benefits of civilisation and thus for much of the past two centuries they were denied it. During the early twentieth century they became the focus of academic curiosity seeking to juxtapose (and justify) Western civilised social structures with those of 'stone-age' primitive cultures. Since the advent of the 'civil rights' movements of the 1950's and 1960's much of the research has centred upon addressing Indigenous Australian social disadvantage. While Indigenous Australians enjoy many of the benefits that Western civilisation has provided, centuries of research and academic endeavour have done little more than entrench notions of their inability to engage and take advantage of the social benefits on offer in Australia. Prior to Anglo-European contact and domination. Indigenous Australians had developed a complex social system that was sufficient for their needs and consistent with their hfestyle and behefs. At the time of the arrival of Anglo-Europeans they enjoyed greater life expectancy than their counterparts from Europe. They had better health outcomes, almost unlimited access to their lands and thus to nutritious foods and through the kinship system experienced social support structures that defined not only their societal roles, obligations and responsibilities, but also confirmed their social and spiritual identity. Over a period of some two hundred years the situation has changed markedly for Indigenous Australians. Their access to their lands and their rights to its bounty have been denied through imposed European laws that failed to recognise Indigenous ownership, their populations have been decimated through introduced disease and maltreatment and they have been largely excluded from the benefits of the social system that replaced their own. Until 1967 Indigenous Australians did not have citizenship rights in their own land and were denied equality of opportunity to participate in and share in the wealth generated from their plundered resources. To facilitate this plunder they were removed to church run missions and state run reserves where their every action was governed by an alien system of rules and conventions that in many instances extinguished the former social support structures that had sustained them for more than 40,000 years. Many were forced to work in menial employment for low wages or where their wages were paid to the state to be kept in trust for them only to see their money stolen by the very apparatus that was supposed to protect it - the state. Despite now having citizenship Indigenous Australians have benefited little. They currently fare worse that Anglo- European Australians on just about every indicator. They have shorter life expectancy, poorer health outcomes, are more likely to be incarcerated for minor offences, experience higher rates of unemployment, have less disposable income, are more likely to live in overcrowded substandard housing, and are less likely to achieve educational standards comparable with Anglo-European Australians. For this Indigenous Australians deserve redress and just compensation. Anglo-European Australians have a moral and ethical duty to right the wrongs of the past and address the current inequality. However, while most Australians are supportive of Indigenous Australians being treated fairly and achieving equality of outcomes they have been largely excluded from the benefits conferred by membership to Anglo-European Australia and its social structures. The 'safety net' of social support systems and structures that have been developed to ameliorate disadvantage for all Australians has failed Indigenous Australians - the most socially disadvantaged group of Australians. This chapter examines the Indigenous Australian social context, explores the issues and suggests ways to address current approaches that have done little more than entrench the disadvantage experienced by Indigenous Australians. © 2006 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.