Issue Details: First known date: 2007... 2007 Indigenous Australians : Well-served by Current Public Policy? Some Reflections on the Indigenous History Wars
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'The 'history wars' debate in Australia has a strong subtext of conflict over the development of Commonwealth Government policy and programs to address Indigenous disadvantage. The election of the Whitlam Labor government (1972-1975) marked a watershed; the Commonwealth became involved in addressing the disadvantage that state governments had seemingly ignored. The policies were called policies of 'self-determination' for Australia's Indigenous people as they involved the direct funding of Aboriginal community controlled organisations. These policies are often opposed by sections of Australian society as being potentially divisive and unnecessary. The simplistic mantra of Pauline Hanson, Australians should be treated the same', encapsulates this point of view, and represents a thinly-disguised attack on the validity and integrity of Indigenous survivors of colonialism and also a denial of the role of history in contemporary life. In the light of this, it is. '

Notes

  • Epigraph: If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up in mine, then let us work together. -Ulla Watson, a Brisbane-based Aboriginal educator and activist

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

  • Appears in:
    y separately published work icon Australia : Who Cares? David Callahan (editor), Perth : API Network , 2007 Z1565017 2007 anthology criticism Who, in Australia, is doing the caring, and how encouraging are the examples of caring that Australia gives us? Australia-Who Cares? examines these questions from a variety of perspectives and incorporates discussion of immigration and asylum seekers, Indigenous Australians, multiculturalism and the environment, and the representation of these issues in photography, media, literature, law, and policy. Underpinning these considerations is the question of Australia itself: what makes this country what it is? This collection recasts some of the thorniest debates that the nation is presently faced with in terms of caring or, as a number of the chapters uncover, not caring. Surprising and thought-provoking, this collection will inspire debate and reflection on what it means to be Australian. Contributions by Michael Ackland, Stephen Alomes, Veronica Brady, Nicholas Brown, David Callahan, Kathryn Choules, Toija Cinque, Uros Cvoro, Catherine Dunne, Vicki Grieves, Fincina Hopgood, Anne Maxwell, Carol Merli, Wenche Ommundsen, Emily Potter, Libby Robin, Kay Schaffer, John Scheckter, Kay Souter, and Gerhard Stilz. (publishers Flyer sighted 05/03/2009) Perth : API Network , 2007 pg. 25-40
Last amended 17 Feb 2017 10:19:20
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