Question

Describe the relationship between Aboriginal Australians and European Australians from the arrival of the British to the present

Answer 1

The British invaded the Australian territory and established their colonies between the periods 1788 and 1859. In 1851, the British colonists were able to find gold in the territory which attracted the attention of more Britons who traveled to Australia in order to create more colonies. However, as you already know, the Australian territory was already occupied by native tribes, the aborigines, who were the true owners of those lands.

However, in order to continue the expansionist politics of the United Kingdom and to exploit the land in favor of the British, the aborigines were fought, dominated and expelled from their lands. This all happened with the establishment of many conflicts, where the aborigines had disadvantages. Many of them were infected by diseases brought by the Europeans and ended up dying with the lack of antibodies in their organisms.

In addition, Aboriginal children were kidnapped and placed in British orphanages, where they were re-educated to behave in European ways, to be catechized and to abandon their indigenous customs.

The adult aborigines, suffered discrimination and limitation to a good quality of life, which generated a lot of revolt among them, besides generating groups that fought for the rights of the real inhabitants of that region. This all resulted in a turbulent relationship between European Australians and Aboriginal Australians, which only improved around 1960, when Aborigines had some rights established by law, which gave them the ability to live in a society. Among these rights, the right to vote, the right to be counted as part of the national population and the Native Title Act can be listed.