Health And Wellbeing Community Assessment Of Indigenous Australians

Historical legislation and government policies have impacted the health and well-being of Indigenous Australians. Since the landing of the First fleet in 1788, the Australian government employed institutional racism in the form of laws and regulations. Such policies were executed throughout the colonial frontier, segregation, ‘protection’, and assimilation eras (Hampton & Toombs, 2013). Cassie’s Story has been used as an example to correlate past and present implications of the assimilation policy (CSU, 2011). Polices were primarily enforced through the use of missions and government reserves in an attempt to ‘civilise the savages’ (Eckermann, 2010). As a future health care professional, strengths and weaknesses of cultural competence will be critically reflected in this journal. Researching the true violence that occurred in Australia’s shared history has been a confronting introduction towards my cultural competence journey.

In 1937, the Australian government introduced the assimilation policy. The aim of the assimilation policy was to absorb the ‘half-caste’ Indigenous population into the ‘white’ community. With the protectorate experiment failing, governments were viewing the Indigenous population as a nuisance. The idea of absorption agreed that all efforts of the government should be directed at integrating children that were from mixed blood decent into the non-indigenous community. Consequently, individual racism and prejudices have been transmitted throughout generations (Hampton & Tooms, 2013). It was evident during my studies that the protection and assimilation polices overlap considerably. Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families during both these eras of government control. I experienced feelings of disbelief and sadness watching footage of the children that had been taken. The stories that have been shared in the Bringing them home report are appalling. “The wailing at night used to disturb the spirits” as quoted in Cassie’s story reminded me of a tragic scene in the movie Rabbit Proof Fence and is an unsettling description of the events that took place. It was heartbreaking to learn that there were an estimate of 100,000 children taken and not all were reconnected with family members. I cannot fathom the intense heartbreak the families would feel then and now. This has created an understanding of why trauma is carried throughout the generations. Not only is there a strong history of violence, killing and dispossession there are children still missing that have never returned home. The dehumanising term “herded” is used frequently in literature and is mentioned in Cassie’s story. It further demonstrates that the Indigenous people were transported and treated like animals (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2017). The general theme of Cassie’s story relates to the forcible removal of Indigenous Australians and the assimilation policy. My interpretation of Cassie’s story clarifies that Indigenous communities were never asked and the government has controlled most aspects of their lives (CSU, 2011).

I have explored specific impacts on the health and well-being of Indigenous Australians throughout Cassie’s story. The negative outcomes that I have deciphered are dispossession, destruction of kinship groups, intergenerational trauma and psychological impacts. These impacts can be evidenced with the destruction of the community centre, destruction of the safe house for mums and the eviction of Indigenous families from their homes. Cassie is further burdened with the worry of her families physical and mental health. These worries can radiate broadly throughout the community kinship groups. Mental health concerns and the suicide of a family member are cited in Cassie’s story. The estimated suicide rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is 2.6 times the rate for non-Indigenous Australians (Australian Government Department of Health, 2013). I live in a small rural community that has frequently experienced the loss of young Indigenous people to suicide. There are many Indigenous Australians caught in the vicious cycle of poverty and incarceration in my local community and right across the continent as illustrated in Cassie’s story. Psychological impacts of trauma and dispossession are highly relevant in today’s society as these issues are still prevalent. Racial discrimination directly contributes to inequality in health and wellbeing outcomes (Eckermann, 2010).

Relating

Reflecting on personal and professional experiences has changed dramatically since commencing this subject. I am able to recall various events throughout my life and healthcare profession that relate to asp