In Australia, there are approximately 600 Aboriginal nations/clan groups across the continent which are governed and bound by The Customary Aboriginal law. It is a distinct law from the Australian legal system which has existed for years prior to the western colonisation and the presence of the Australian legal system. The customary Aboriginal law is a system of principles and guidelines which stipulate social norms as well as ways of learning and being for The Aboriginals. It is also an integral part of The Aboriginal existence and continuity as it is formed through a network of connection which originated from The
While a variety of factors have shaped the diversity of Indigenous Australian philosophy and practices across the Australian continent, one of the central characteristics of the Aboriginal worldview is the concept of the ‘Dreaming’. Outline some of the key aspects of this belief system and reflect on this in comparison to your own worldview The Dreaming is referred to by Edwards (1998, p.16) as the time that Aboriginal people came into existence. It is clear that the term Aboriginal people is very imprecise as there are many Indigenous nations or tribes, as a result of different groups of people migrating to Australia at different times. American anthropologist J. Birdsell (Flood cited in Edwards 1998, p. 2) describes that there were
Alternative dispute resolution mechanisms offer many advantages for Aboriginal people over traditional court proceedings. “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities should be able to implement models in their own communities, which recognise traditional cultural values and traditional structures of decision making.” (Behrendt 1995, p.6) Behrendt also argues that alternative methods of dispute resolution should be developed that embody the cultural values of Indigenous people and are perceived as acceptable by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, these would be ideally and necessarily be developed by the Aboriginal communities themselves. “In Australia, Indigenous peoples recognise that real change in our situation requires a fundamental shift in the structures of power which will allow Indigenous people to regain control over their own lives.” (Poynton 1994, p.68) Dodson who is the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner also argues “Genuine change will only occur when there is a genuine redistribution of
Human rights are the basic rights and freedoms that are believed to belong to all human beings. Australia has many ways of promoting and enforcing human rights these include international treaties, common and statute law and the constitution. The effectiveness of Australia in promoting and enforcing human rights is shown through the way Australia has responded to the need for law, the way they have enforced the law and how it has protected individual rights The Constitution plays two important roles in protecting human rights. It lays down the system of Australian government i.e. division of powers - federal, state and local and separation of powers - legislative, judicial and executive and it protects specific human rights, including
Use sociological imagination to identify position in Australian society today? What social factors have shaped who you are? Sociological imagination: connection between personal troubles and social structures (using different perspectives) Asian family heritage in Australia: • Not religious or spiritual • Low-income family • Very practical • More conservative School: • More detached and used to brevity of friendships • Internet: • Choose peer group (less necessity for conformity) • Different ideas (broader perspective) - reinforced • American influence Conclusion: • Oh my god, I’m still changing? It’s difficult to find a balance between someone you want to become and someone
The effects of past colonialism are reflected in the poor housing conditions of many Aboriginal persons living on reserves today. “Internal colonialism is used to refer to a situation in which members of a racial or ethnic group are conquered or colonized and forcibly placed under the economic and political control of the dominant group” (Murry, 2014, p.286). The Europeans that invaded and conquered their land colonized Canada’s Aboriginal people. With this, they lost “property, political rights, aspects of their culture, and often their lives. The capitalist class acquired cheap labour and land through this government-sanctioned racial exploitation.
The two main governmental departments responsible for defence are; The Department of Defence and The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). The Department of Defence makes the majority of decisions about Australia’s security. Its primary focus is to protect and advance Australia’s strategic interests. The DFAT’s role is to advance Australia’s national interest. This involves working to reinforce Australia’s security and enhance Australia’s prosperity.
Conscription in Australia was Debated in 1916 to raise the number of Australian troops. Conscription is the compulsory enrollment of persons especially for military service and was used in many countries around the world. Australia had the ability to apply subscription but only on Australian soil, many issues came only with this legislation. (APPENDIX) The level on conscription in Australia was limited to Australian land under the provisions of the Defence Act, rather than being able to deploy troop in to overseas territory. This issue heavily affected the introduction of conscription in Australia.
Although it is not made obvious to anyone, it can be clearly seen with statistics, showing the difference in pay between the different genders. Australia is one country where this glass ceiling occurs and where the government is trying to close the
Aborigines Laws of Kinship The kinship system of the Aboriginal culture is a system that determines how people relate to each other and their roles, responsibilities and obligations in relation to each other, business and land. The kinship system determines who marries who, ceremonial relationships, funeral roles and behavior patterns with other kin. I will look at three of the Aboriginal laws that were set by the tribal elders of Roper River: Marriage Law: “If a person steals someone who is promised to another person in marriage, or if a person goes with a person of a different skin group, they should also be punished in our traditional way by the elders, and if necessary by physical punishment. We would also like traditional marriages to be recognized under European Law and for wives and husbands to have the rights and obligations which come from this recognition of traditional marriages. If at any time this recognition of traditional marriages, under European Law, creates conflict to our traditional culture, then these conflicts must be resolved by a meeting of our elders.” At first look this law took me back to the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.