Example Changing rights and freedoms essay 10/8/09 - Mrs Trumm

Explain how the rights and freedoms of Aboriginal people have changed between 1945 and 2000.


The rights and freedoms of Aboriginal people changed significantly between the years 1945 and 2000. The Australian government put in place polices of protection, assimilation, integration and self determination which disempowered Aboriginal people and severely affected their rights and freedoms.

The Policy of Protection greatly affected the rights and freedoms of Aboriginal people. The policy of protection was based on ‘paternalism’ with two main aims which were to protect Aboriginal people and to educate and teach them ‘white ways’. Instead of ‘protecting’ Aboriginal people the policy brought about racism, discrimination and loss of Aboriginal culture. For example under the policy you could be moved onto a mission or reserve at any time, you needed permission from the government to marry a white person, you could not vote, traditional dancing and ceremonies were often forbidden and you could be separated from family members. Therefore, the Policy of Protection had a negative effect on the rights and freedoms of Aboriginal people.

The policy of assimilation also changed the rights and freedoms of Aboriginal people. The policy of assimilation meant that Aboriginal people were encouraged to give up their traditional lifestyle and to absorb the culture of white people. The Stolen Generations were a feature of the assimilation policy which saw thousands of children forcibly removed from their homes. Most of the children were placed in institutions and some were adopted into white people’s homes. As a consequence, the policy of assimilation continued to change the rights and freedoms of Aboriginal people.

The rights and freedoms of Aboriginal people continued to change as Assimilation was replaced by the policy of Integration in 1965. Integration meant that for the first time Aboriginal people were able to keep their customs and to have a say in how their lives were run. During this time there was also a greater drive to change the inequalities being experienced by Aboriginal people. The Aboriginal right to vote in Federal elections in 1962, the Freedom Rides of 1965 and the 1967 Referendum are examples of gains made by Aboriginal people during this time. As a result, the policy of integration meant that Aboriginal people were slowly making some gains towards their rights and freedoms.

In 1972, the government introduced the policy of self-determination. It was a policy aimed at having Aboriginal communities taking part in decisions that affected their lives. During this time Aboriginal people also continued to fight for lost rights and freedoms. On Australia Day in 1972, a group of activists erected a tent on the lawn of the Old Parliament House with the aim of raising public awareness of Aboriginal rights to land which was to become known as the Aboriginal tent embassy. Therefore, Aboriginal people were increasingly taking control of fighting for their rights and freedoms.

In conclusion it can be seen that the Australian government practiced policies which controlled and restricted the rights and freedoms of Aboriginal people. From the beginning of the 1900s the government implemented polices of protection and assimilation which resulted in the loss of Aboriginal kinship and culture. On the other hand, from the 1960s policies of integration and self-determination saw Aboriginal people fighting for and gaining some of their lost rights and freedoms.