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.
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 […]
Letters: Would the Northern Territory plan pass the Government’s own ethical guidelines?
One of the sad realities of human nature is our propensity to seek immediate solutions that at first glance appear simple and effective yet ignore the complexities of a given situation. In Australian history, particularly for Indigenous people, there are many examples of ‘simple’ solutions that have had devastating consequences, and the only good thing […]
Foucault, psychology and the analytics of power
Despite that many of the later writings of Michel Foucault speak directly to the subject of psychology, the discipline has yet to absorb the full impact of his critical analyses. Foucault’s importance in this respect is at least twofold: he develops a powerful critique of the uses of psychological knowledge and practice in modern disciplinary […]
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 […]
Decolonisation: A critical step for improving Aboriginal health
Aboriginal health continues to be in crisis in Australia although expenditure has increased in service provision, strategic planning, research and policy development over the last thirty years. This paper recommends that a shift must occur to make Aboriginal health improvement a reality. This shift requires the decolonising of Aboriginal health so that the experts in […]
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 […]
Examining discourses of whiteness and the potential for reconciliation
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
“Why should i feel guilty?”: Reflections on the workings of guilt in white-Aboriginal relations
Statements by various public figures that White people ought not to feel guilty about Aboriginal dispossession, and although many Australians assert that they feel no guilt in the matter, this paper asserts that White attitudes to the Australian Aboriginal people are strongly influenced by guilt. The nature of a guilt that ostensibly does not and […]
Unresolved grief and the removal of Indigenous Australian children
This paper considers the usefulness of theory and practice in mainstream psychology in relation to the experiences of Indigenous people directly affected by the practice of child removal. It consists of an interview in which one of the authors, Joyleen Koolmatrie, an Indigenous psychologist, reflects on her work with Indigenous people affected by the removal, […]
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.
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 […]
The psychological impact of white settlement on Aboriginal people
The experiences of dispossession, the incidents of colonialism, racism, exclusion, extermination, denigration and degradation have a direct impact on the mental and physical health of the Aboriginal people. Hence, to achieve a balanced state of health amongst Aboriginal communities, they must join the political campaigns to ensure that the continuing practices of colonialism are identified […]
Benny and the Dreamers (1992)
A small group of Pintupi living in west Central Australia today can remember their first meeting with a white man, their first impressions of the white man’s world and their expectations of what the white world had to offer. Benny and the Dreamers reveals for the first time on film the Australian Aboriginal peoples’ version […]
Redfern Speech
Redfern Speech (Year for the World’s Indigenous People) – Delivered in Redfern Park by Prime Minister Paul Keating, 10 December 1992. Duration: 8min25sec
Indigenous HealthInfoNet
The Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet is an innovative Internet resource that aims to inform practice and policy in Indigenous health by making research and other knowledge readily accessible. In this way, we contribute to ‘closing the gap’ in health between Indigenous and other Australians.
PSY114 Indigenous Australians and Psychology: An Introduction
Overview: This subject provides students with foundational knowledge in Indigenous Australian Studies from which to build their discipline-specific understandings and skills and ability to work effectively in Indigenous contexts. It is constructed within a cultural competence pedagogical framework which enhances the development of student graduate attributes and prepares students for active citizenship and engagement in […]
Bringing Them Home Oral history interviews
In December 1997, in response to the first recommendation of Bringing Them Home: Report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families, the Commonwealth Government announced the National Library would be funded to develop and manage an oral history project. The Bringing Them Home Oral History […]
The Lowitja Institute – Literature Search
This search tool provides easy access to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health literature on the PubMed database You can choose to look at all literature or one of 27 search topics. You can refine each choice by entering keywords, filter options and published dates.
Analysis & Policy Observatory – Indigenous
