Aboriginal Studies
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Social Justice & Human Rights Issues:
A Comparative Investigation
Employment
Question examples & marking criteria
Students will need to study their local community, another Indigenous community within Australia and an overseas indigenous community.
The impact of invasion and colonisation and subsequent events, while the same in general terms throughout Indigenous communities, differs in its specifics. Unemployment is a concept unknown to indigenous societies. When forced to become assimilated indigenous communities found themselves being employed as hard labour, often for little or no money. The stories local people tell about working as bean pickers on the South Coast are a good example. The "training" received at Cootamundra and Kinchela for the labour force also show the impact of colonisation. Students need to know the impact of invasion and colonisation in their local community, their other Australian study and their overseas indigenous community.
Employment statistics and employment issues vary greatly throughout Australia. It is important to have accurate data and information that is as current as is available for each community. For the overseas indigenous community it is important that the statistics relate directly to that community, not the overall community for that country, For example, collect specific statistics for the Lakota of the Black Hills, USA, not statistics that apply to Native Americans across the USA.
It is important to know the names of particular government employment programs and strategies to address Aboriginal employment issues, including those which are culturally appropriate. It is particularly important know how these programs and strategies are being implemented in their local and other Australian community. Examples need to be found of the implementation of similar government employment programs and strategies for the overseas indigenous community.
A number of programs are designed and run by local Aboriginal communities to their specific needs. If these exist in your community or in your other Australian study, make sure you know the details of these programs.
Employment impacts on the lifestyle of Aboriginal people. In general terms, employment is linked to education, health and housing. Employment often depends on education. Housing depends on employment and health is linked to housing.
Employment circumstances vary from community to community.
Students need to understand fully the employment circumstances of their three communities, the causes of those circumstances, the current situation and future plans.
Students need to be aware, in all three areas of their studies, how the "housing-education-employment-health" interconnection is working. and be able to come up for specific examples for each.
Students should have an understanding of the importance of regaining land in addressing the employment situation for Aboriginal peoples. This importance depends very much on where the communities studied are living, and how the land regained will be used. Some types of examples are employment in tourism, the cattle industry, national parks and in the USA, casinos Such generalised examples need to be backed by specific examples.
Students will need to know specific examples of the impact of the regaining of land for each of the three communities studied. Even if the regaining of land has not been completed, students need to know of plans for the future.
There have been a number of Aboriginal initiatives to improve employment, including community-based programs. Students need to know the very specific details of these programmes where they exist in each of the three communities. An example of an Aboriginal initiative which will help create employment was reported in the Wollongong Advertiser 28/6/00.
Students need to know the social and political changes Aboriginal and Indigenous leaders are proposing to improve Aboriginal and Indigenous employment. They also need to know what governments are planning and how their decisions will impact on these communities. Importantly, students to hypothesise about the future of Aboriginal employment, by close examination of their selected communities, seeing what has worked in the past, what the current situation is, and make suggestions as to what future directions the communities may face.
Students should compare(show similarities and differences) the three communities studied. The most effective way to do this is in a summarising table. As all the information has already been covered students can write generalisations across the page where necessary and give specific examples under appropriate columns.
Three comparative communities Local Aboriginal Community National Australian Indigenous Community International Indigenous Community Example Casino - Bundjalung Dubbo -
WiradjuriCree Impact of
invasion and
colonisationEmployment
levelsEmployment
programs/
strategiesImpact on
lifestylesImportance of
regaining landAboriginal
initiativesNecessary
social/political
changes
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission Indigenous Australia today: an overview ATSIC, Canberra, 1996.
Healey, J. (ed) Aboriginal health Spinney Press, Balmain, NSW 1998.
Healey, J. (ed) Aboriginal health and welfare Spinney Press, Balmain, NSW, 2000.
Australian Bureau of Statistics Year book, Australia Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canberra, 1978
Question examples & marking criteria
Outcomes assessed: H1.2, 1.3, 2.3, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4.5
In the answers to the sample questions the criteria by which the questions will be marked have been provided rather than a definitive written answer. There is no one correct answer!!
Indigenous Employment Policy
Self-esteem grows as Aborigines see a future that works.
By Andrew Stevenson, Rural Reporter for the Sydney Morning Herald*.
'When Mr Lyall Munro went to Woolworths to do his pre-Christmas shopping this year he paid his money, then stood back to watch a scene Moree had never before witnessed.
Young Aborigines, resplendent in red coats and ties, had the store on the move, directing not only the Christmas rush but the staff needed to keep the new supermarket functioning.
Mr Munro, an Aboriginal activist and leader, was not the only one watching. For many white shoppers it was their first chance to see Aborigines employed in the positions of responsibility and a highly visible sign of success for the community-driven employment strategy that has found full-time work for 100Aborigines in under three years.
It wasnt the first nor the last but a significant advance for a town whose name has long been synonymous with institutional racism and a bitter divide.
After watching generations of unemployment, with its concomitant social problems, Mr Munro says finding new jobs has been a tremendous benefit to this community.
"Its lifted the self-esteem of these people enormously," he said. "They socialise better, theyre more politically aware of their situation as Aborigines in Moree and it also builds better relations between the two communities."'
Reproduced from the Sydney Morning Herald in the Koori Mail 26/01/2000, with permission.
Using the source above and your own knowledge, answer the following:
A.
Identify FOUR benefits for Aboriginal people that employment might bring to their communities.(4 marks)
Criteria Marks Identifies four benefits (not necessarily from the SOURCE). 4 Identifies three benefits. 3 Identifies two benefits. 2 Identifies one benefit. 1
B.
Describe one culturally appropriate employment program that has been introduced for Aboriginal people. (4 marks)
Criteria Marks Identifies one employment program, (describe it) and give details of how it is culturally appropriate. 4 Identifies one employment program and describes it. 2-3 Identifies one employment program. 1
C.
Using local Aboriginal Community and International Indigenous Community case studies, discuss the impact of employment opportunities on the future of Aboriginal and other indigenous peoples.(12 marks)
Criteria Marks Clearly identifies and describes two communities. Response is balanced in regard to each community. Discusses the impact of employment opportunities on the future of people in both communities. Specific examples are used in response. 10-12 Clearly identifies two communities. Discusses the impact of employment opportunities on the future of communities. Has some understanding of the link between employment opportunities and the future. 7-9 Identifies two communities. Discusses at least one employment opportunity. Has a general understanding of employment issues. 4-6 Identifies one community. Provides some relevant information regarding employment. 1-3
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