Aborigines and their Place In Politics :: social issues

Aborigines and their Place In PoliticsFor much of their history, Australias major(ip) parties did not perceive a need to have Aboriginal personal business policies, but this altered in the 1960s and 1970s as the Aboriginal interest came to occupy a more prominent position. The policies of recent major administrations, those being the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and the Coalition, consisting of the Liberal Party and National Party, have changed drastically since the Federation of Australia. The approaches throughout history of these major parties will be discussed briefly in order to gain an understanding of the foundation of each partys beliefs and platforms in regards to Aborigines. The main political issues facing Aborigines in rules of order today will be identified, and subsequently the main political parties approach and policies will be distinguished in relation to each issue. Finally, recent policies and decree introduced by the main political parties will be introduced and discussed. From 1937, the approach of all governments was one of assimilation, whereby Aborigines would submit to indoctrination in white ways before pickings their place in the general Australian community. However, in time this policy came under intensifying attack on all sides, with critics claiming the policy denied these individuals of their Aboriginal culture, and implement the notion of the superiority of the white culture. For a time, desegregation became a policy of the Commonwealth, though it was hard to identify the distinction between assimilation and integration. As attitudes changed, State governments began to amend many of the laws that denied Aborigines equality with whites. In 1967, all parties maintained the proposed Constitutional amendment. Although attitudes had begun to change, little had been done to encroach such altered attitudes in decided government policies. The Labor Party made the most positive pitch for these interests, and at its 1971 Federal C onference, Gough Whitlam led the party into conceiving the most detailed Aboriginal affairs policy yet adopted up until this period, by a major party. This called for the establishment of a full Aboriginal affairs department. Whitlam guaranteed that a Labor government would not falter to override any State laws which discriminated against Aborigines, or which supervised Aborigines, or which reduced the opportunities for Aborigines to conduct themselves as they wished. Shifting aside assimilation and integration, Labor adopted self-determination, a policy which spoke of Aborigines ultimately being able to decide the pace and nature of their future development, where they would cultivate a real and effective responsibility for their own affairs.