What has been the impact of past government policies?
10.1.1 Australia’s history since the arrival of British settlers helps explain the great sense of injustice and the strong sense of common historical experience which Aboriginal people share today. It helps explain their economic, social, residential status and their attitudes to non-Aboriginal Australians and the nation whose foundation was premised on their dispossession. Following the takeover of their land by the British, the personal liberty of Aboriginal people was jeopardised. They no longer had the freedom to live as they pleased and their life choices were dictated much more by government and government-approved missions than was the case for non-Aboriginal people. Their children were taken away to dormitories or distant towns, as parents and kin were thought to be a degrading influence. The various colonial and later State, Commonwealth and Territory Governments introduced policies which led to intrusions into most aspects of their everyday lives. These included inspections o
