Aboriginal Population

I purposefully left out the indigenous, aboriginal population from the demographics section because it seems that Australians have an entirely different perception of this group of people than other cultures. From what I have seen and heard I see their stance towards the aboriginal population as largely hypocritical. It appears that, although they are critical of the race issues within the US, people generally have a negative attitude towards this segment of the population. I was surprised that I didn’t hear anything at all about aboriginals for about a week into my trip. I had to go out of my way to ask a few friends and coworkers how they felt. My initial shock came when I learned about how few aboriginal individuals there are around Sydney and the larger cities in general. Much like the US there are areas that act somewhat like Native American reservations where the majority of the population lives. Aboriginals are, from what I observed in my short time in Australia, the most marginalized group of people.

            Aboriginals within the city live in poor and badly maintained parts of the city in building structures that resemble projects. I was literally told on several occasions specific stops to NEVER get off on; being warned that Aboriginals will “sick dogs and throw chicken bones at you”. In actuality, crime rates were higher within those areas but it seems that people were exaggerating a bit about the prevalence of problems. Within my position in the government I saw direct acts to help with the advancement of the Aboriginal population. Since 1972 there have been initiatives to help motivate individuals as well as modify schools and programs in order to increase the prevalence of high school graduation in the population. One of the programs that stands out was removing fences from around the school because of the negative connotation it has in the Aboriginal culture. Other measures that rewarded families monetarily were also successful.

            Towards the end of the trip there was a week set aside to raise awareness about issues within the Aboriginal population as well as the Torres Strait Islanders. Venues around Sydney held cultural awareness shows and guest lecturers to help reveal inherent issues with policies and procedures that are held in Australia. I feel a sense that people want to start making a difference with policies; even through my work I noticed a trend in correspondence towards wanting to help these people. I think, in general, people are starting to realize that their government has the means to make a difference in the lives of the original habitants and will eventually force, by popular demand, a change.