Newsflash – the headlines
When you watch the animation of Newsflash you will see headlines flash on to the screen. The headlines represent some of the major issues facing Aboriginal people. You will find below background information about each of the headlines. For more information on the lyrics of the verses of Newsflash, go to the content document, A Workplace Guide.

Newsflash 
Newsflash is a song of hope for the future of Aboriginal people. The song opens up awareness of the effects of dispossession, colonisation and institutional racism on the wellbeing of our Aboriginal people and builds appreciation of the oldest surviving culture in the world.

Terra nullius
Imperial powers in the 18th century could acquire new territory by peaceful settlement rather than by conquest providing the land was previously unoccupied. Britain claimed sovereignty over the territory of Australia by declaring that it was ‘terra nullius’, meaning ‘a land belonging to no one’ or ‘unoccupied land’.
The British justified the idea of ‘terra nullius’ by saying that Aboriginal people were not in occupation of the land. This fictional concept was based on the way the land was being used. The British did not recognise the land management practices of the local people as there was no evidence of tilling the soil or permanent structures. The fiction was that the land was really an uninhabited desert. While this claim was completely untrue it was enough to annex sovereignty over the entire continent.

Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes has been recognised as one of the most prevalent health problems for Aboriginal people across Australia with the incidence around four times that of the general population. As well as contributing directly to death rates, Type 2 diabetes is linked to a number of other health conditions including kidney failure or renal disease. The prevalence of Type 2 diabetes is likely to increase in the future.
Studies investigating the development of the disease in Indigenous populations in the early 1960s found a link between Type 2 diabetes and the adoption of 'westernised' lifestyles and diet.

Reconciliation
Australia has a hidden history of lies, massacres, genocide, imprisonment, poison and stolen children. Australia’s Aboriginal people have been disadvantaged since white settlement, affecting every aspect of life. Even today, Aboriginal people are the most disadvantaged group in Australia’s ethnic profile. Reconciliation is about recognising past injustices and working towards make a better life for Aboriginal people today.
•	The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody in 1991 recommended policy changes to assist Aboriginal people in the areas of health, education, housing, drug and alcohol dependence and Aboriginal self-determination.
•	In 1991, the Commonwealth Parliament voted unanimously to establish the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation and a formal reconciliation process. The Parliament recognised that there had been no formal process of reconciliation and that it should occur by the year 2001, the centenary of Federation.
•	The Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation’s vision is of a united Australia which respects this land of ours, values the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage, and provides justice and equity for all.
•	The government’s process to promote Reconciliation came to an end with Corroboree 2000 and the 250 000-strong People’s Walk for Reconciliation across Sydney Harbour Bridge and handing Prime Minister John Howard the Reconciliation document.
•	Controversy still exists over the government’s failure to say ‘sorry’ to the Stolen Generations or change the 10-point plan to limit native title over pastoral leases. This policy was developed by the Howard Government after the High Court’s Wik decision that pastoral leases did not extinguish native title over traditional lands. 
•	There are still calls on the government to sign a treaty with Australia’s Aboriginal people. Australia is the only Commonwealth country that has not formalised any type of treaty or agreement with its Indigenous occupants.

To find out further information check out: 
Gillbank, Melanie & Hytten, Frank 2005, What comes after ATSIC?: effective alliances with Indigenous Australians, viewed 22 June 2006, <http://www.nowwethepeople.org/conference/2005/workshopPapers/afterATSIC.htm>.

Treaty rights 
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were completely overlooked as relevant parties in the formation of the Australian Federation. Many Australians believe that a treaty is an appropriate starting point towards reconciliation. Canada, USA and New Zealand all have treaties with their Indigenous peoples and it is argued that Australia should reach the same recognition of partnership.
In achieving a treaty proponents suggest the benefits will be:
•	agreed standards
•	a framework for settling relationships between Indigenous peoples and governments at local, regional, state, territory and federal levels
•	legal recognition including constitutional recognition that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have rights which must be taken into account by governments in Australia
•	improved services such as health, housing, education and employment in ways that are most suitable for Aboriginal people.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD)
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major health problem in the Australian Aboriginal population. The high incidence of heart disease among Indigenous Australians is attributed to a range of risk factors including smoking, physical inactivity and psychological and sociological aspects.
The main conditions contributing to high death rates are coronary heart disease, stroke and hypertensive disease. Rheumatic heart disease, although not a common contributor to death from CVD in the non-Aboriginal population, is evident in the Aboriginal population, primarily because of increased prevalence of rheumatic fever, especially in children. 
The major CVD risk factors for the Aboriginal population are the same as those for the total population, but the evidence of risk factors is often much higher among Aboriginal people. As is true for many health issues, the high prevalence of risk factors found among the Indigenous population reflects the broader social and economic disadvantages faced by Aboriginal people.
The risk factors are smoking, physical inactivity and psychological and sociological aspects. These risk factors contribute significantly to the development of cardiovascular conditions in the Australian Indigenous population. Smoking heightens the risk of CVD by affecting the functioning of the arteries; physical inactivity contributes to increased weight gain; and psychological and sociological risk factors stem from social inequalities and influence the prevalence of other health risk factors.

Discrimination
Many Aboriginal people are judged and disadvantaged because of stereotypes. Stereotypes are not a valid means of making decisions about any group of people. It is important to remember to make no assumptions about people and to treat everyone as an individual.
A life of opportunity and dignity, free from discrimination and disadvantage, should not be an ideal. It is, in fact, a basic human right – one that we all share in common.
Social justice is about making sure that every Australian - Indigenous and non-Indigenous - has choices about how they live and the means to make those choices.
Social justice is grounded in the practical, day-to-day realities of life. It’s about waking up in a house with running water and proper sanitation; offering one’s children an education that helps them develop their potential and respect their culture. It is the prospect of satisfying employment and good health.
Social justice also means recognising the distinctive rights that Indigenous Australians hold as the original peoples of this land, including:
•	the right to a distinct status and culture, which helps maintain and strengthen the identity and spiritual and cultural practices of Indigenous communities 
•	the right to self-determination, which is a process where Indigenous communities take control of their future and decide how they will address the issues facing them 
•	the right to land, which provides the spiritual and cultural basis of Indigenous communities. 

‘For Indigenous peoples to participate in Australian society as equals requires that we be able to live our lives free from assumptions by others about what is best for us. It requires recognition of our values, culture and traditions so that they can co-exist with those of mainstream society. It requires respecting our difference and celebrating it within the diversity of the nation,’ stated Dr William Jonas.

Original custodians 
Australian Aboriginal Society has the longest continuous cultural history in the world. Its origins date back to at least 50 000 or possibly 70 000 years. The arrival of the people who became known as our Aboriginal people took place in the period of the earth’s history known as the Pleistocene. Using a combination of land bridges and sea crossings it is suggested that they made their way to Sahul - the landmass of Australia and New Guinea.
The last Ice Age ended 15 000 – 20 000 years ago. During this period known as the Holocene period the sea level rose and large areas were inundated. Later many of the inland lakes dried up and vast deserts formed. As a consequence coastal Australia became more densely occupied. The stabilisation of the sea level led to more fixed patterns of settlement and social organisation. Aboriginal society was a ‘knowledge-based society’ which survived enormous changes in climate and environment. The connection with the land was generated over this long period of intimate contact with the changing continent and it continues today.

Stolen generations 
By the early 1900s, legislation designed to segregate and ‘protect’ Aboriginal people had been passed in all states. The legislation generally imposed restrictions on Aboriginal people to own property and seek employment, and in most states an official known as the Protector of Aborigines, who had far reaching powers, was the legal guardian of all Aboriginal children.
Children could be taken from Aboriginal mothers if it was suspected that the father was non-Aboriginal. The intention was, in the first instance, to stop the development of a ‘half caste’ population, and in the second, to assimilate them into Australian society. This practice continued until the 1970s and those people who were taken from their families have been known as the Stolen Generations.
A comprehensive report on the removal of Aboriginal children from their families, titled Bringing Them Home, was released in 1997. This landmark report told the stories of many Aboriginal children and communities devastated by government policies and laws which allowed Aboriginal children to be taken from their families. The report estimated that between one in three and one in ten Aboriginal children were forcibly removed from their families between 1910 and 1970.
It’s now accepted that the trauma of this separation from family and culture has had wide ranging impacts on Aboriginal society and been passed on down the generations.

Crisis for indigenous youth
Aboriginal youth face a daunting list of difficulties in Australia today. A vast divide in life opportunity exists between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the general population in Australia. We need to change the following statistics:
•	Aboriginal youth are the most educationally disadvantaged
•	63 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people over 15 years of age are overweight or obese
•	49 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 18 years and over are smokers
•	59 per cent of Indigenous Australians aged 13 years and above identify alcohol as ‘one of the main health problems’ faced by their communities and 30 per cent identify ‘drugs’ as a problem
•	unemployment rates are highest for Indigenous people aged 15-17 years (31.8 per cent), and 18-24 years (27.3 per cent)
•	the number of children on care and protection orders nationally on 30 June 2002 was 5.9 times the non-Aboriginal rate
•	Aboriginal juveniles (up to age 18) remain over-represented in criminal justice processes.

For more information on the Aboriginal youth issues go to the following sites:
Education 
Enterprise and Career Education & Aussie SchoolHouse Foundation 2001, Vocational education community online, viewed August 2004, <http://www.veco.ash.org.au/wadu/>. 
Health
Edith Cowan University, School of Indigenous Australian Studies 2006, Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet, viewed August 2004, <http://www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/>.
Social justice
Australia, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission 2006, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice, viewed August 2004, <http://www.humanrights.gov.au/>.

Native title appeal
Aboriginal people have links to areas of land that date back thousands of years. The native title appeals are about claims for ownership of property by Aboriginal people where they have maintained a physical association with their territory. The two landmark cases in native title Appeals are the Mabo case from the Mer (Murray) Islands and the Wik Case from Cape York Peninsula.
In 1992, the High Court’s decision in Mabo rejected the idea that Australia was terra nullius (land belonging to no one) at the time of European settlement. The Court recognised the common law right of Indigenous peoples to land based on their continuing use and connection to land. This case made the revolutionary finding that native title, in appropriate situations, could survive colonisation. It had huge implications for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land claims throughout the country.
The Wik decision in 1996 by the High Court meant that the granting of pastoral leases did not mean that Native Title was extinguished. The issue decided upon was that simply because a lease was issued it did not mean exclusive possession. It wasn’t until 2000, after five years of negotiations, that the Federal Court ratified an agreement that recognised the Wik people’s native title over 6000 square kilometres of land in Cape York, although 24 000 square kilometres remain to be determined.
To define the principal of native title, the government passed the Native Title Act in 1993 and after the Wik decision, developed a controversial 10-point plan to resolve the ambiguities in native title legislation.

Indigenous Rights
The right to self-determination is based on the simple acknowledgment that Aboriginal peoples are Australia’s first people, recognised by law in the historic Mabo judgement. Without self-determination it is not possible for Aboriginal Australians to fully overcome the legacy of colonisation and dispossession. Self-determination is an ‘ongoing process of choice’ to ensure that Aboriginal communities are able to meet their social, cultural and economic needs. It is not about creating a separate Aboriginal ‘state’.
‘The loss of the right to live according to a set of common values and beliefs, and to have that right respected by others, is at the heart of the current disadvantage experienced by Aboriginal Australians. Without self-determination it is not possible for Aboriginal Australians to fully overcome the legacy of colonisation and dispossession.
‘In recent years the federal government has moved away from recognising self-determination as the basis of Aboriginal policy. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner continues to challenge this approach and encourages Aboriginal communities to seek their own solutions to problems.’

Bringing Them Home report
‘The landmark 1997 report, Bringing them home, told the stories of many Aboriginal children and communities devastated by government policies and laws which allowed Aboriginal children to be taken from their families. The report estimated that between one in three and one in ten Aboriginal children were forcibly removed from their families between 1910 and 1970.
‘The report made wide-ranging recommendations, such as the need to provide counselling and other health services, family tracing and reunion services and other means to support Aboriginal families and children. The report also called for the establishment of a Sorry Day and a national apology to those affected by separation.
‘[The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice] Commissioner continues to monitor the implementation of the report’s recommendations and works with Aboriginal organisations to support families and communities affected by separation policies.’

Indigenous health issues
The need for Aboriginal Services is supported by social indicators with statistics indicating that Aboriginal people are worse off than any other identifiable group of Australians.
Statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2001) include:
•	Aboriginal people die on average 15 to 20 years earlier than non-Aboriginal people and are far more likely to suffer from infectious disease or chronic disease such as diabetes, renal failure, heart disease and hypertension, trachoma and ear disease
•	only 2.6 per cent of the Indigenous population was aged 65 years or over
•	coronary heart disease - three to four times higher for males and females 
•	stroke - three to four times higher for males and 2.5 to 3.6 times higher for females 
•	rheumatic heart disease - 27 times higher for males and 23 times higher for females
•	other cardiovascular disease – three to 4.5 times higher for males and females.

Social justice
Social justice means recognising the distinctive rights that Indigenous Australians hold as the original peoples of this land, including:
•	the right to a distinct status and culture, which helps maintain and strengthen the identity and spiritual and cultural practices of Indigenous communities 
•	the right to self-determination, which is a process where Indigenous communities take control of their future and decide how they will address the issues facing them 
•	the right to land, which provides the spiritual and cultural basis of Indigenous communities
•	The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner advocates for the recognition of the rights of Indigenous Australians and seeks to promote respect and understanding of these rights among the broader Australian community.

References

Australia, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission 2005, Reconciliation: bringing them home – Indigenous social justice, viewed August 2004, <http://www.humanrights.gov.au/bth/text_versions/indig_social_justice/reconciliation.html>.

Australia, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission 2004, Social justice and human rights for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, viewed August 2004, <http://www.hreoc.gov.au/Social_Justice/info_sheet.html>. 

Edith Cowan University, School of Indigenous Australian Studies 2006, Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet, viewed August 2004, <http://www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/>.

Enterprise and Career Education & Aussie SchoolHouse Foundation 2001, Vocational education community online, viewed August 2004, <http://www.veco.ash.org.au/wadu/>. 

Davidson, Jason 2001, ‘The lucky country?’, in Aboriginal Australia & the Torres Strait Islands: a guide to indigenous Australia, Sarina Singh et al., Lonely Planet, Footscray, Victoria, p. 39.

Gillbank, Melanie & Hytten, Frank 2005, What comes after ATSIC?: effective alliances with Indigenous Australians, viewed 22 June 2006, <http://www.nowwethepeople.org/conference/2005/workshopPapers/afterATSIC.htm>.

Morrissey, Philip 2001, ‘Facts about Aboriginal Australia & the Torres Strait Islands’, in Aboriginal Australia & the Torres Strait Islands: a guide to indigenous Australia, Sarina Singh et al., Lonely Planet, Footscray, Victoria, pp. 22-30.

Singh, Sarina et al. 2001, Aboriginal Australia & the Torres Strait Islands: a guide to indigenous Australia, Lonely Planet, Footscray, Victoria.