Lessons About Improving Cultural Safety for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People
I am a scholar from the Australian indigenous Aboriginal race
Worked with a Child Safe Organization during part time
My culture has firm belief on the Dreamtime
We have been integrated and accepted within the societal setup
Accorded the right to live in the Australian mainland
Interaction with the Aborigines
I have lived among the Aborigines all my life
Being part of the community, I am aware of the issues facing the community
The previous policies and practices by the Australian government did not favor the indigenous people (Eckermann, Dowd & Chong 2010).
Knowledge about the Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders
These cultures were formed by people who identify themselves as indigenous and have been accepted by the society (Maclean, Ross, Cuthill & Rist 2013).
They are legally defined as Australians to the mainland or the Island of Tasmania (Hallam, 2014).
Interacted extensively with the community serving under the Child Safe Organization.
The course covers extensively on the community’s information.
Influences in diverse Environments
Quite positive and empowering influences on the indigenous communities
Action by the government in the development and implementation of National Principles for Child Safe Organizations which champion issues encountered by the Aboriginal children (Lowell, et al 2012).
Racial marginalization has been eliminated across all sectors of representation and in health care
Workplace Cultural Safety
Cultural Safety perspective has been implemented across several sectors from institutions to the work environs (Hoare, 2014).
Sense of belonging and acceptance is evident in my areas of operation.
Cultural Safety is underpinned by several principles: Social and Restorative perspectives, Aboriginal Self Determination, Negotiated Partnership, Transparency, and Sustainability among others (Eckermann, Dowd & Chong, 2010).
Marginalized cultures are appreciated across all setups
Cross-cultural training programs, policies, and workplace apparatuses have been initiated
The Historical Impacts
Intrigued by the Commonwealth Electoral Act of 1962
The Act permitted the indigenous to enroll as voters
The enactment of the Act was a turning point for the Aborigines and the Torres Strait Islanders who had been sidelined for long following the Australian Federation of 1901
Resolution of human rights started long ago dating back to mid-19 century and persisted to mid-20th century when Menzies's Government took office and brought reforms
Information from the Elders
Had a privilege to meet Neville who once served in the 1970s federal government.
He was an indigenous Australian of the Aboriginal descent.
Gained entry into office in 1971 under the Liberal party.
Expressed his joy regarding the paradigm shift and the apparent change of things which valued the livelihoods and appreciated the culture of the indigenous people (Soole, Kolves & De Leo 2014).
He was the first indigenous person to serve in Queensland Parliament.
Specific Long Term Impacts
Constitutional amendments of 1901 failed to recognize the marginalized communities
The Constitution was not all-inclusive
The rights of the indigenous communities were neglected
Some of its provisions such as Clause 25 and 51 discriminated against all indigenous communities
Impacts of European Settlement
It was devastating and disrupted the normal way of life of the indigenous people.
They dispossessed land and engaged the natives with violent conflicts resulting to many deaths.
Displacement led to drastic decline in their population count (Taylor, Nicolle & Maguire, 2013).
Disrupted their economic activities and source of income thereby exposing them to malnourishment and eventual displacement into church missions and government reserves.
Reserves were closed due to overcrowding in 20th Century and the indigenous communities were forced to move to towns (Soole, Kolves & De Leo, 2014).
References
Castellano, M. B. (2014) Ethics of Aboriginal Research1. Global bioethics and human rights: Contemporary issues, 273.
Eckermann, A. K., Dowd, T., & Chong, E. (2010) Binan Goonj: bridging cultures in Aboriginal health. Elsevier Australia.
Hallam, S. J. (2014) Fire and hearth: a study of Aboriginal usage and European usurpation in south-western Australia. Apollo Books.
Lowell, A., Maypilama, E., Yikaniwuy, S., Rrapa, E., Williams, R., & Dunn, S. (2012) “Hiding the story”: Indigenous consumer concerns about communication related to chronic disease in one remote region of Australia. International journal of speech-language pathology, 14(3), pp. 200-208.
Maclean, K., Ross, H., Cuthill, M., & Rist, P. (2013) Healthy country, healthy people: An Australian Aboriginal organisation’s adaptive governance to enhance its social–ecological system. Geoforum, 45, pp.94-105.
Shahid, S., Durey, A., Bessarab, D., Aoun, S. M., & Thompson, S. C. (2013) Identifying barriers and improving communication between cancer service providers and Aboriginal patients and their families: the perspective of service providers. BMC health services research, 13(1), p.460.
Sharifian, F. (2010) Cultural conceptualization in intercultural communication: A study of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. Journal of Pragmatics, 42(12), pp.3367-3376.
Taylor, S. P., Nicolle, C., & Maguire, M. (2013) Cross-cultural communication barriers in health care. Nursing Standard (through 2013), 27(31), p. 35.
Wheeler, B. (Ed.). (2013) A companion to Australian Aboriginal literature. Camden House
