Australian Reconciliation Barometer 2012
Reconciliation Australia and Auspoll began collaboration on the Reconciliation Barometer research project in February 2007. The objective of the research was to develop a tool to measure the progress of reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. This 2012 edition is the third iteration of the Barometer, following the initial two studies in 2008 and 2010. […]
Being black in Australia: A case study of intergroup relations
This article presents a case study in Australia’s race relations, focusing on tensions between urban Aborigines and recently resettled African refugees, particularly among young people. Both of these groups are of low socio-economic status and are highly visible in the context of a predominantly white Australia. The relationship between them, it is argued, reflects the […]
The impact of racism on Indigenous health in Australia and Aotearoa: Towards a research agenda
It is well established that Indigenous Australians and M_ori have higher levels of ill health and mortality than non-Indigenous people. It is also clear that the disadvantage suffered by Indigenous peoples is associated with both historical and contemporary racism, colonisation and oppression. Both an ‘adequate state of health’ and ‘freedom from racism’ are rights enshrined […]
Apology to Australia’s Indigenous peoples. Transcript of Speech by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, MP, to the Parliament of Australia, 13 February 2008
Invited Members of the Stolen Generations heard first-hand in the gallery of The House of Representatives chamber at Parliament House, Canberra, the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, speaking to the motion that was the Apology at 9.00 am on 13 February 2008.
Theory to social action: A university-based strategy targeting prejudice against Aboriginal Australians
The level of racism in Australia against Aboriginal Australians is well documented. This has an extremely detrimental effect on the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal Australians. One part of the solution may be anti-prejudice strategies, but to date few strategies that include a pre-test and a post-test assessment have been conducted in Australia. The present […]
Liyarn Ngarn
Documentary by singer songwriter Archie Roach, the late Pete Postlethwaite and Aboriginal elder Patrick Dodson. (Out of print but available from libraries) Duration: 70 mins
Coercive Reconciliation: Stabilise, Normalise, Exit Aboriginal Australia
In the wake of the release of Anderson/Wild Little Children Are Sacred report, the Howard government has declared a national emergency and mobilised a coalition of police, army and others in what they suggest will be the ‘first phase’ of a program to tackle child sexual abuse in remote Aboriginal Australia. Using both the language […]
Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australia: The dilemma of apologies, forgiveness, and reconciliation
This article presents a qualitative study of the indigenous Australian perspective on reconciliation with nonindigenous Australia, with a focus on the role of an apology for the oppression and violence perpetrated by nonindigenous Australians, and forgiveness on the part of indigenous Australians. A brief historical analysis of the relationship between Aborigines and waves of settlers […]
Constructing racism in Sydney, Australia’s largest EthniCity
Contemporary Australia is in a contradictory situation as a nation where multiculturalism co-exists with various forms of what are collectively called racisms. Based on a survey of Sydney residents, this study uses a social constructivist approach to investigate the nature and sociospatial context of racist attitudes in Sydney, Australia’s largest EthniCity. Results show a mix […]
Indigenous reconciliation in Australia: do values, identity and collective guilt matter?
This paper reports an investigation of the impact of shared values and identities on Australian attitudes towards Indigenous reconciliation across two studies. In Study 1, University students were assigned to one of two conditions in which they completed a questionnaire that measured their value priorities and reconciliation attitudes; either as an individual or as an […]
Kanyini
Bob Randall, a member of Yankunytjatjara people and one of the listed traditional owners of Uluru, explains the principle of connectedness through caring and responsibility that informs all aspects of Aboriginal life. Duration: 53 mins
Towards a culturally appropriate mental health research process for Indigenous Australians
The aim of this paper is to consider culturally appropriate research methodologies for working with Indigenous Australians and to suggest some alternatives. The emphasis is on developing culturally sensitive approaches that are not culturally offensive or continue a colonial mentality (Smith, 1999). Historically, Australian Aboriginal cultures have been one of the most researched in the […]
Attitudes toward indigenous Australians: the issue of “special treatment”
Previous research has found that people who report negative attitudes toward Indigenous Australians also report acceptance of false beliefs such as “being Indigenous entitles you to more social security benefits”. In the present study, we were interested in examining negative attitudes toward Indigenous Australians across three Western Australian locations, and comments spontaneously generated by participants […]
A systematic review of empirical research on self-reported racism and health
This paper reviews 138 empirical quantitative population-based studies of self-reported racism and health. These studies show an association between self-reported racism and ill health for oppressed racial groups after adjustment for a range of confounders. The strongest and most consistent findings are for negative mental health outcomes and health-related behaviours, with weaker associations existing for […]
Ambivalent helpers and unhealthy choices: Public health practitioners’ narratives of Indigenous ill-health
Public health practitioners in Australian indigenous health work in a complex political environment. Public health training is limited in providing them with conceptual tools needed to unpack the postcolonial nexus of ‘fourth-world’ health. A workshop was designed by the authors to facilitate critical reflection on how the concepts of race and culture are used in […]
Attitudes toward Indigenous Australians and asylum seekers: The role of false beliefs and other social-psychological variables
Australia has a long and chequered history regarding relations between different cultural groups. Indigenous, Asian, Yugoslav, Italian and Arabic Australians have all suffered from negativity directed toward them by ‘‘mainstream’’ Australia. At the beginning of the 21st century there has been much publicity about two groups: Indigenous Australians and asylum seekers. In this paper, we […]
Constructing racism in Australia
There is a dearth of empirical evidence on the extent of racist attitudes, broadly defined, in Australia. A telephone survey of 5056 residents in Queensland and NSW examined attitudes to cultural difference, perceptions of the extent of racism, tolerance of specific groups, ideology of nation, perceptions of Anglo-Celtic cultural privilege, and belief in racialism, racial […]
The chains of colonial inheritance: searching for identity in a subservient nation
Explores the issue of Australia’s ongoing difficulties in establishing an independent national identity. He then traces these difficulties to what he identifies as ‘unresolved issues’ in Australian society inherited from the colonial days, including the ‘hybrid’ political system, a hostility to non-Europeans, resistance to reconciliation, the rejection of multiculturalism, the ongoing degradation of the natural […]
Black & White
Drama portraying Rupert Max Stuart case involving verballing allegations in a case of alleged rape and murder of a 9-year-old Ceduna, SA, girl in 1959. Max Stuart was eventually released on parole in late 1973. He became an Elder of the Arrernte people in central Australia and Chairman of the Central Land Council from 1998 […]
Strong and Smart: the story of Chris Sarra and the Cherbourg State School
Tells the story of the rise of the Cherbourg State School from a situation of aimless despair and chaos to an institution with a sense of purpose, direction and unity. The film shows the turn-around in the school’s fortunes over the last 4 years, since the arrival of a dynamic new teaching staff led by […]
Stereotype change and prejudice reduction: short- and long-term evaluation of a cross-cultural awareness program
The present study reports an evaluation of an applied prejudice reduction intervention. Previous research has indicated that such programmes achieve limited success. The programme evaluated was an in-house anti-racist education programme aimed at reducing prejudice towards Aboriginal Australians. The target audience were employees of a large public service organization. Knowledge of, prejudice towards, and stereotyping […]
The construction of Aboriginal identity in people separated from their families, community, and culture: Pieces of a jigsaw
Aboriginal history since colonisation has been largely shaped by government policies. The most striking and destructive historical policies directed at Aboriginal people concerned those that advocated the removal of Aboriginal children from their parents and their placement in white foster homes or institutions. This paper reports on interviews with seven Indigenous participants who had been […]
Psychology and reconciliation: Australian perspectives
Australia is engaged in the process of reconciliation. In this paper we argue that psychology has a key role to play in the process, and outline a position on psychology and reconciliation. We begin with and overview of reconciliation and by identifying the some of the factors that have impeded psychology’s involvement with Indigenous people. […]
Reconciliation 2
An annotated poem inspired by the inquiry into the separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families challenges us to consider our involvement in this issue.
Racism and prejudice: An Australian psychological society position paper
In view of the rise of racist rhetoric in Australian public life in recent years, this paper reviews psychological research on racism and prejudice as they are expressed at every level of society from government policy to the intrapersonal sphere. It draws on evidence arising from social, developmental, clinical, and community psychology. The mental health […]
