My view on racism in Australia
Participants of a conference on "Still Image Messages". Second from right is Duran Angiki.
In mid-2009, I was invited to a conference at Wollongong University, South Coast of NSW, to present a seminar paper on the topic: “Wantokism”and a brief outline of my research. The organisers of the conference requested participants to present papers along the theme: “Writing the Pacific”.
The conference was organised for scholars of different academic backgrounds and disciplines, who are writing and researching the Pacific Islands region. The three-day conference was jointly organised by the Australian National University (ANU) and Wollongong University.
One of the causes of Aboriginal struggle
Politically, the challenges are enormous and perpetuated by the fact that the indigenous population of Australia will never see the light of "Political Self Determination" or Independence.
This is an issue that goes direct to the heart of indigenous self-esteem, pride, aspiration, cultural, social, political and economic participation, and the lack of it and the desire to better their future.
For decades, the majority of indigenous people, who lived in remote settlements around Australia are caged by designed and pushed to circumstances beyond their control (racism, discrimination, relying on government handouts, disadvantage etc), which instill in their minds distrust and dislike of anything and everthing government and yet we often wonder why?
Secondly, the Anglo Australian media will never allow a genuine debate about Aboriginal problems from the perspectives of the indigenous community. The mainstream Anglo-controlled media will kill any issue that deems embarassing and against their interests.
In the end, indigenous people of this country will continue to suffer the same fate that indigenous communities of countries such as Canada, USA, NZ, are also experiencing in the hands of white people, known in the Pacific Islands regions as “Pakeha" (Maori) or Palangi (Samoan) or Kaivalangi (Fijian) or Araikwao (Solomons Pijin).
I've never regretted making the above assertion in front of professors and doctors of philosophy. My observation then and still is, is as long as Australia exists and remains a predominantly White -Society, Aboriginals will remain and continue to be "second-class citizens" in their own land.
The culture of racism in mainstream Anglo-Australian society against indigenous people has continued to be a major stumbling block in every attempt by some sections of the White-Australian society to recognise indigenous rights and equality.
History tells me that institutionalised "racism" is not new in the White-Australian mainstream society. And worse still in the Anglo-controlled mainstream media, government institutions, publics and private sector and NGOs.
Mainstream media contribution to racism
In my own experience, the news media in Australia is the last frontier of Anglo-ownership of this country. And this is also the same situation with other public and educational institutions.
Allowing their workforces to be mixed with people of different colours is a huge threat to the White or Anglo -Australian ownership and supremacy in this country.
A clear indication of this case is the fact that out of the "three" free-to-air television stations in Australia, none of them has a news reader or prime time news anchor of an indigenous ethnic or racial background, let alone a person of black or brown skin.
Compared the Australian news networks with BBC, CCN, Fox News and many other international news networks in the United States and UK, television news networks are anchored by “Black Face” journalists.
Historical Context of Racial Discrimination in Australia
Racism against the indigenous people of this country is a modern reflection of the 1800s White Australian policies. Back then, racial discrimination laws were formulated to protect the interests of settlers.
And also legitimated the forced acquisition of land and assimilation of indigenous people into a designed “White Australian” society. The whole idea was to change the skin colour of black indigenous people.
The Australian government ‘White Policy’ simply treated indigenous people as “non-entity” and labelled them under the same category of stones, trees and animals in their own land.
The inhuman treatment of Aboriginals finally ended in 1967, following a national referendum, where White-Australians, the only ones with voting rights, were asked to vote and determine whether or not Aboriginals should be considered as human beings and allowed to become citizens.
Referendum triggers race relation
Following a “yes” vote, which was not overwhelming, to recognise Aboriginals as human beings, it started an ongoing race struggle that simply unable to go away until today. It was the beginning of a long struggle that mainstream Australian society has attempted at every twist and turn not to revisit.
Sadly, the biggest hypocrisy is what the Australian government and its social, political and economic institutions have been doing against the Aboriginal people of yesteryears that perpetuated until today.
During this period, successive Australian Federal and States' governments have been unfairly expecting indigenous people, who were denied human rights, dignity, equal opportunity, and formal education until 1967, to educate and immediately integrate to mainstream Anglo-society.
For decades, the above case has further complicated by governments politicising and economising of everything Aboriginals, without consideration to indigenous struggles to embrace new and rapid social, cultural, economic and political changes and challenges.
Aboriginals - 45 years, White Australians - 300 years
This year (2012) marks 45 years following the abolishing of the White Australian policy. Again, this year marks four years since the former Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, formally apologised to the Aboriginal communities and the stolen generation for the wrongs of the past.
But since then nothing has changed in the institutionalised racism, stereotyping and negative perception, attitude and treatment by the mainstream Anglo-dominant society of Aboriginals.
In mid-2009, I was invited to a conference at Wollongong University, South Coast of NSW, to present a seminar paper on the topic: “Wantokism”and a brief outline of my research. The organisers of the conference requested participants to present papers along the theme: “Writing the Pacific”.
The conference was organised for scholars of different academic backgrounds and disciplines, who are writing and researching the Pacific Islands region. The three-day conference was jointly organised by the Australian National University (ANU) and Wollongong University.
Out of the less than 20 participants who were attending the conference,
only four were from the Pacific Islands region: an Indo-Fijian, a mix race
Fijian lecturer from Victoria University in Wellington, NZ and two of us from
the Solomon Islands.
During one of our panel discussions, our Fijian lecturer
friend from NZ, who happened to be one of my former lecturers in history
politics at University of the South Pacific (USP), enthusiastically suggested
that Pacific Islands’ scholars should be playing a role in advocating
Aboriginal struggle.
As the discussion progresses, I hesitantly weighed into the
debate. My point was, the case of Aboriginal community in Australia is quite
different to ours in the Pacific Islands region.
I said the challenges and struggles that the Aboriginal
communities are facing are a "byproduct" of a “developing people (third world), living in a
developed nation.
Indigenous disadvantages are designed and enforced by "White-Australians" mainstream political institutions, which are clearly uncomfortable with the idea of openly debating issues regarding the cultural, social, economic and political wellbeing of the indigenous communities in Australia.
Indigenous disadvantages are designed and enforced by "White-Australians" mainstream political institutions, which are clearly uncomfortable with the idea of openly debating issues regarding the cultural, social, economic and political wellbeing of the indigenous communities in Australia.
One of the causes of Aboriginal struggle
Politically, the challenges are enormous and perpetuated by the fact that the indigenous population of Australia will never see the light of "Political Self Determination" or Independence.
This is an issue that goes direct to the heart of indigenous self-esteem, pride, aspiration, cultural, social, political and economic participation, and the lack of it and the desire to better their future.
For decades, the majority of indigenous people, who lived in remote settlements around Australia are caged by designed and pushed to circumstances beyond their control (racism, discrimination, relying on government handouts, disadvantage etc), which instill in their minds distrust and dislike of anything and everthing government and yet we often wonder why?
Secondly, the Anglo Australian media will never allow a genuine debate about Aboriginal problems from the perspectives of the indigenous community. The mainstream Anglo-controlled media will kill any issue that deems embarassing and against their interests.
In the end, indigenous people of this country will continue to suffer the same fate that indigenous communities of countries such as Canada, USA, NZ, are also experiencing in the hands of white people, known in the Pacific Islands regions as “Pakeha" (Maori) or Palangi (Samoan) or Kaivalangi (Fijian) or Araikwao (Solomons Pijin).
I've never regretted making the above assertion in front of professors and doctors of philosophy. My observation then and still is, is as long as Australia exists and remains a predominantly White -Society, Aboriginals will remain and continue to be "second-class citizens" in their own land.
The culture of racism in mainstream Anglo-Australian society against indigenous people has continued to be a major stumbling block in every attempt by some sections of the White-Australian society to recognise indigenous rights and equality.
History tells me that institutionalised "racism" is not new in the White-Australian mainstream society. And worse still in the Anglo-controlled mainstream media, government institutions, publics and private sector and NGOs.
Mainstream media contribution to racism
In my own experience, the news media in Australia is the last frontier of Anglo-ownership of this country. And this is also the same situation with other public and educational institutions.
Allowing their workforces to be mixed with people of different colours is a huge threat to the White or Anglo -Australian ownership and supremacy in this country.
A clear indication of this case is the fact that out of the "three" free-to-air television stations in Australia, none of them has a news reader or prime time news anchor of an indigenous ethnic or racial background, let alone a person of black or brown skin.
Compared the Australian news networks with BBC, CCN, Fox News and many other international news networks in the United States and UK, television news networks are anchored by “Black Face” journalists.
Historical Context of Racial Discrimination in Australia
Racism against the indigenous people of this country is a modern reflection of the 1800s White Australian policies. Back then, racial discrimination laws were formulated to protect the interests of settlers.
And also legitimated the forced acquisition of land and assimilation of indigenous people into a designed “White Australian” society. The whole idea was to change the skin colour of black indigenous people.
The Australian government ‘White Policy’ simply treated indigenous people as “non-entity” and labelled them under the same category of stones, trees and animals in their own land.
The inhuman treatment of Aboriginals finally ended in 1967, following a national referendum, where White-Australians, the only ones with voting rights, were asked to vote and determine whether or not Aboriginals should be considered as human beings and allowed to become citizens.
Referendum triggers race relation
Following a “yes” vote, which was not overwhelming, to recognise Aboriginals as human beings, it started an ongoing race struggle that simply unable to go away until today. It was the beginning of a long struggle that mainstream Australian society has attempted at every twist and turn not to revisit.
Sadly, the biggest hypocrisy is what the Australian government and its social, political and economic institutions have been doing against the Aboriginal people of yesteryears that perpetuated until today.
During this period, successive Australian Federal and States' governments have been unfairly expecting indigenous people, who were denied human rights, dignity, equal opportunity, and formal education until 1967, to educate and immediately integrate to mainstream Anglo-society.
For decades, the above case has further complicated by governments politicising and economising of everything Aboriginals, without consideration to indigenous struggles to embrace new and rapid social, cultural, economic and political changes and challenges.
Aboriginals - 45 years, White Australians - 300 years
This year (2012) marks 45 years following the abolishing of the White Australian policy. Again, this year marks four years since the former Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, formally apologised to the Aboriginal communities and the stolen generation for the wrongs of the past.
But since then nothing has changed in the institutionalised racism, stereotyping and negative perception, attitude and treatment by the mainstream Anglo-dominant society of Aboriginals.
Although some of the decisions and policies taken by recent governments are the infant steps in the right direction, they failed to stop racism at its ugliest form against indigenous
people and stop short of restoring indigenous rights in landownership, self determination and dignity.
Aboriginals are the most disadvantaged people in this country. They are a "damaged " people , who've continued to suffer social stigmatisation and separation, cultural dislocation, and economic and political disadvantages.
One classic example of this is the formular of governments funding for Aboriginal communities. According to Aboriginal communities, project funding and aid money are often quarantined by States and Federal governments, to the detriment of the people.
The processes of applying for States and Federal aid fund are so complicated for any average Aboriginal community or institution or person to apply. In such a case, Aboriginal institutions, individuals and communities, have to rely on Anglo-Australian business experts to help them out in their project proposals.
In the end, only White Australian mainstream business houses are benefiting from government funding and projects, with only peanuts trickling down to indigenous community.
Unfair expectations
The sad irony of this issue is the unfair expectations by Anglo Australian institutions, for Aboriginals to speed up their integration into their society in 45 years.
White Australians had taken 300 years, since their arrival from Europe, to get their in-house right in Australia today. But expect indigenous people to achieve parity in slightly more than 40 years.
In my experience with the Aboriginal community of the Mid North Coast of NSW, people are living in third world environment, but their sad situations and challenges are always masked by the sophistication of the White-Australian society.
Indigenous disadvantages are also perpetuated by Federal and States governments’ programs that are tailored to meet the expectations and sophistication of an Anglo-Australian society.
Worse still, the programs are often designed and implemented by Anglo or White bureaucrats and consultants, who have never lived or understood Aboriginal mind set, cultural and social context.
The sad reality is in many cases, like similar cases in the Pacific Islands region, White-consultants who had spent brief time in the indigenous communities, would always go away with negative impressions of the indigenous communities and use it as the basis of labeling Aboriginals.
Wrong programs for wrong people
In contemporary Australian society, the consistent failure by mainstream "Anglo-Australian" government institutions to address the fundamental issues that are impacting on the "development" of the indigenous community is complicated by the issue of racism
It contributes a huge role to the widening gap in the social, economic and political status and wealth between mainstream White-Australian society and the indigenous community.
In the heart of this debate is the case of "institutionalised racism", which perpetuates indigenous disadvantages and victimises non-caucasian migrants to this country: a problem that resurfaced in two separate events over the weekend in Sydney and Canberra.
The first event was a call by one of Australia finest citizens, and first generation Asian immigrant, Dr Charlie Teo, for all Australians to be compassion to new migrants to this country.
In a speech to mark the Australia Day in Sydney, Dr Teo condemned the Australia’s Federal government major political parties for floundering policies on immigration and treatment of asylum seekers.
The second event was a peaceful demonstration by a group of indigenous Australians on Thursday (26/1/012), which quickly turned into violence against the Leader of Opposition, Tony Abbott.
The Ugly Side of Australian Politics
Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, and Opposition Leader, Abbott, were officiating at a ceremony to mark the Australian Day celebration in a Canberra restaurant, when protestors arrive.
The protesters target was the Leader of Opposition, Tony Abbott, who had earlier in the day, told a radio and television stations that the “Aboriginal Tent Embassy”, which is pitched at the front-lawn of the old Parliament house in Canberra, should be removed.
The statement infuriated a group of indigenous people, who had travelled from various parts of the country and gathered at the tent embassy in Canberra, to mark the “Australia Day”, as a “Sorry Day” for Aboriginals, whose land were forcefully occupied and confiscate by White Australians.
Following the demonstration outside of the restaurant, police and armed security guards escorted Abbott and Gillard through a police human barricade to a waiting motorcade.
The demonstrators also staged another one on the following day (27/1/012), where young Aboriginals were filmed and photographed to have spat at an Australian flag before setting it on fire.
The history of racism in Australia is always a thorny issue in the effort to build bridges, not only between White Australians and indigenous people, but with people of other ethnic groups.
Sadly, racism is not only exists in Australia. It exists everywhere around the globe, in many different ways, forms and levels, including my country of origin, Solomon Islands.
What frustrating in the end is the hypocrisy of the Australian government, which often lectures developing countries about moral ethics and universial values and obligations, when in her own backyard, she fails to fix institutionalise racism against Aboriginals.
Aboriginals are the most disadvantaged people in this country. They are a "damaged " people , who've continued to suffer social stigmatisation and separation, cultural dislocation, and economic and political disadvantages.
One classic example of this is the formular of governments funding for Aboriginal communities. According to Aboriginal communities, project funding and aid money are often quarantined by States and Federal governments, to the detriment of the people.
The processes of applying for States and Federal aid fund are so complicated for any average Aboriginal community or institution or person to apply. In such a case, Aboriginal institutions, individuals and communities, have to rely on Anglo-Australian business experts to help them out in their project proposals.
In the end, only White Australian mainstream business houses are benefiting from government funding and projects, with only peanuts trickling down to indigenous community.
Unfair expectations
The sad irony of this issue is the unfair expectations by Anglo Australian institutions, for Aboriginals to speed up their integration into their society in 45 years.
White Australians had taken 300 years, since their arrival from Europe, to get their in-house right in Australia today. But expect indigenous people to achieve parity in slightly more than 40 years.
In my experience with the Aboriginal community of the Mid North Coast of NSW, people are living in third world environment, but their sad situations and challenges are always masked by the sophistication of the White-Australian society.
Indigenous disadvantages are also perpetuated by Federal and States governments’ programs that are tailored to meet the expectations and sophistication of an Anglo-Australian society.
Worse still, the programs are often designed and implemented by Anglo or White bureaucrats and consultants, who have never lived or understood Aboriginal mind set, cultural and social context.
The sad reality is in many cases, like similar cases in the Pacific Islands region, White-consultants who had spent brief time in the indigenous communities, would always go away with negative impressions of the indigenous communities and use it as the basis of labeling Aboriginals.
Wrong programs for wrong people
In contemporary Australian society, the consistent failure by mainstream "Anglo-Australian" government institutions to address the fundamental issues that are impacting on the "development" of the indigenous community is complicated by the issue of racism
It contributes a huge role to the widening gap in the social, economic and political status and wealth between mainstream White-Australian society and the indigenous community.
In the heart of this debate is the case of "institutionalised racism", which perpetuates indigenous disadvantages and victimises non-caucasian migrants to this country: a problem that resurfaced in two separate events over the weekend in Sydney and Canberra.
The first event was a call by one of Australia finest citizens, and first generation Asian immigrant, Dr Charlie Teo, for all Australians to be compassion to new migrants to this country.
In a speech to mark the Australia Day in Sydney, Dr Teo condemned the Australia’s Federal government major political parties for floundering policies on immigration and treatment of asylum seekers.
The second event was a peaceful demonstration by a group of indigenous Australians on Thursday (26/1/012), which quickly turned into violence against the Leader of Opposition, Tony Abbott.
The Ugly Side of Australian Politics
Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, and Opposition Leader, Abbott, were officiating at a ceremony to mark the Australian Day celebration in a Canberra restaurant, when protestors arrive.
The protesters target was the Leader of Opposition, Tony Abbott, who had earlier in the day, told a radio and television stations that the “Aboriginal Tent Embassy”, which is pitched at the front-lawn of the old Parliament house in Canberra, should be removed.
The statement infuriated a group of indigenous people, who had travelled from various parts of the country and gathered at the tent embassy in Canberra, to mark the “Australia Day”, as a “Sorry Day” for Aboriginals, whose land were forcefully occupied and confiscate by White Australians.
Following the demonstration outside of the restaurant, police and armed security guards escorted Abbott and Gillard through a police human barricade to a waiting motorcade.
The demonstrators also staged another one on the following day (27/1/012), where young Aboriginals were filmed and photographed to have spat at an Australian flag before setting it on fire.
The history of racism in Australia is always a thorny issue in the effort to build bridges, not only between White Australians and indigenous people, but with people of other ethnic groups.
Sadly, racism is not only exists in Australia. It exists everywhere around the globe, in many different ways, forms and levels, including my country of origin, Solomon Islands.
What frustrating in the end is the hypocrisy of the Australian government, which often lectures developing countries about moral ethics and universial values and obligations, when in her own backyard, she fails to fix institutionalise racism against Aboriginals.
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