BECTTON I V

.e-..-.

EDUCLTION OF THE PUBLIC.

Tha Darwin Confaroncm July 1963 l i s t e d a s one o f the eleven ttnothods of advancing the Policytt

of a s s i m i l a t i o n , t h a following:

(x) Positivo s t e p s t o ansure awareness i n the conmunity t h a t implon s n t c t i o n of. the policy Of a s s i m i l a t i o n i s possible only, i f Aborigines a r e accepted i n t o the cormunity and t h a t the conmunity plays i t s f u l l p a r t . This sebms t o be n r e c o g n i t i o n of the n e c e s s i t y o f r a p l a c i n g the iqnorance, stereotype and imojudioe of many Australians l i v i n g ' i n contact with Aborigines, b y a constmtive.undorstanding.

The f a k l u r e t o e f f e c t i v e l y

inplenont t h i s recognition i s a v m y fundcmJontal one t h a t undormines welfare programno e. I n praotioo, t h e Itpositive stepst1 amount t o a v m y a n a l 1 number of Public addresses and r a d i o talks, a l l by i n v i t a t i o n . In

1959 t h o r o wero
1

only eighteen yublio addrsssos and t h r e e r a d i o talks i n N.S.Y.

Tho content of these o f f o r t s can parhcps bo inforrod f r o m tho othor

m a n s o f publio oduoation, tho pamghlsts published by the Wolfare Board and voluntary bodios. The p b l i c a t i o n s of the Australian Board o f Missions,

t h e Dapartmont of T o r r i t o r i o s , the National Aborigines Day Observdnoo Cornm i t t o e , and t h e N.S. #. Aborigines' Welfare Board's ltDdwntt, come undor c r i t i c a l examination. Tho National Aboriginos Day Obswvanco Committoe p u b l i c a t i o n s a r o probcbly the most widsly d i s t r i b u t e d ,

The noet valucble contribution- of

these pamphlots, for example, "Tho Aborigines and Yout1, J u l y 1963, i s i n tho iinthrogologioal i n s i s h t s thoy o f f e r i n t o the Aborigines' past. Howavar, the r e p r e s e n t a t i o n of prosont p o l i c i e s and provision is charactorised by a complacont f i n a l i t y and a misloading s i m p l i f i c a t i o n .
a r o t o l d of t h e

WO

tlcoA;uIIon viewpoints, i n L g i s l a t i o n and i n d i r s o t p r a c t i o a l n a t t u r s undorlying mebsuros f o r the advslncemont and welfaro of the Aborig i n a l population", i n each o f o u r S t a t o s . 2 This s t c t o n o n t purports t o account for tho South Australian Sohomo with i t s progroesivo outlook, i t s concorn f o r Aboriginal land r i g h t s , and i t s enpha-

sis on oduostional and vooational t r a i n i n g and consolidation.

1 H.J.
2

Groon, "The Policy of t h e Aborigines Welfare Board i n N.S.W., ProcecdinAs of tha Armidale Conferonco on N. S.W. Abori_e;ino= .1252, 3.31. "The Aborigines and You", p.2, (groparod undor tho a u t h o r i t y of the Minister f o r T e r r i t o r i e s ) 1963.
e _ 1 _ _ 1 _

Thd bookldt axpresses tho popular misconception t h a t bocauso cult u r e s avolvu over hundrods or evon thousands o f years, t h e nonbars of a d i f f e r e n t culture1 and rsci'al group must be exTosod t o change i n g o n t l s s t a g e s of t r a n s i t i o n .

"For generation a f t e r gsnoration, cultural adjuotnont w i l l take place . t t 1

T h a w i s no a d n i s s i o n t h a t t h e i n d i v i d u a l ' s c h a r a c t o r i s t i c s which

nzrk h i u out as a monbor o f h i s c u l t u r a l group a r e acquired i n tho d a r l y

yoars o f h i s l i f e i n t h e g r o o o s s o f h i s t r a i n i n g and oducation, and nay bo dramatically affuotod during t h i s t i n e , m d t h a t

--

WO

do not have t o w a i t f o r

the slow march of c u l t u r a l Gvolution for the Aboriginos t o l o a r n tho coni > l o x i t i a s o f whito Australian l i v i n g .

.S . Ye P a r t i c u l a r l y not i n N

, whoro

there are no r o a l t r i b a l e n t i t i o s l o f t , no full-blood Aboriginos who know only a tribal language, and no Aboriginos who haven't had f a i r l y c o n s i s t c n t contact with whits cotmoroc, education, l a w onforcomsnt

, and

anploynant I
Tlioy

Theso booklots do not set out t o givo such an wdorstsnding.

a r o intondod n a r o l y

" t o d e s c r i b e tho s o r t of work t h z t i a baing done and t o s p g o s t cleans by which t h i s work can be doveloped and extended."
The inpoxtnnt quostions t h a t one n z e t s i n reference t o t h e Aborigi-

nes all ovor t h e S t a t o are l o f t unanswered, o r t o bo answmod by l o c a l r a c i a l folk-lore.

Aro t h e Aboriginos r e a l l y Ita holploss, h o p l o s s psoplo;'?

If not, why do they l i v o tho way thoy do, on t h e f r i n g a s of toms, on wizsto

l a n d and garbato d i s p o s a l amas? educational lovols?

W h y do tho c h i l d r o n not a t t a i n avorago

Why a r o the Aborigines s o widcly considorod c disoasod

dopravod raw, t o be d i s t r u s t o d and avoidod?

A l l of t h o s o quootions aro l o f t unanswcrod, yot thdy are tho qucs-

t i o n s which peoplo f o o l are noot r e l e v a n t t o whother a s s i n i l 2 - t i o n i s c v 2 9 l c policy, o r not. Yet i n the N . L D . 0 . C . pamphlets
WQ

arc told optinistically

w d w g h e n i s t i c e l l y , t h c t " o l d o r ConcoptS" about tho KJoriginos "have tondb.;l.

----

--&nor;:l --- . - .--.^I---.--.populntion i s willing_to - -accc-lt ..-At----o chmgQ with the yBnrslf a d "tho ---------

and d n c o u r a , ASorigines.I1 3
a

--

- -- -- .

1 Ibid.,
2

2.3.
7

I * . bid

2.9.

3 "Aborigines i n the Connunity", published under tho z u t h o r i t y of the

L i i n i s t ~ rf o r T o r r i t o r i c s , p I 5.

! .

N~P3rtholoss,,"Abori~in in ~ atho Connunity" t r i o s t o argue t h o t hboriginas a m ccp:ble

of thc scuo schiovononts as othor Austrc~lians.

No

rr?c"rsonscrd givrtn b u t tho oaso i s s q p o r t o d by cnrofully soloctod, glossy ?hotogrephs of outstanding individuals, like Kath Wclkdr, Harold B l a i r and othor AboTiginzl succoss s t o r i e e .
t

Wall sutmtantintod and c u t h o r i t s t i v o s n s w ~ r st o all of thc doubts

end suspicions nontionoh
NTO

&ilcblo.

I f formulated End widoiy d i s t r i b u ~5

tud i n Cormonwmlth publiontions f o r N.k,D.O.C.,

groat dool o f undorstanci--

i n g could bo a c h i o v d which would s t r i k o at t h o b a r r i o r s o f d i s c r h i n a t i o n ,

6 :

infarrod i n f o r i o r i t y c.nd tho susaicion t h a t 'obstructs progross.

Tlm UN2SCO Stztanont, on R a m m d Raco Difforoncos 1962 (Ncy 26th)

f o r oxanplo, has mong o t h w r a l w c n t i t o n s ,

(b) A.vcilablc, s o i m t i f i c knowlodga grovidos no bzsie f o r bolioving t h a t t h e groups of nznkind d i f f o r i n % h o b i m a t e - c @ p c i t yf o r i n t r t l l e c t u c l and emotional devolopuont.
(d) V c s t social changes hcva oocurmd th& have 'not boon connoctod i n any way with chcznges i n racial type. H i s t o r i c c l and eooiol o g i c e l s t u d i e s thus suggort tho vi2w'tha.t genotic difforoncos a m of l i t t l o aignificcnoe i n dotornining t h sooial Qnd o u l - . tUro.1 d i f f m o n c o s bdtwwn diffasront groups of non. Whm
WJ

k v o shown t h e t diffaronoos

'in oduqational and ooougational

attcinnonts and wcys of lifo ard t h outcomo o f s o c i a l and cultural d i f f m ro a l opaortunity and tha handicap o f our p a s t end Gnces, i n c q u c l i t i o s of c
prosont wclfzro g o l i o i o s i n maintaining dopondoncy and e o c i a l inc?doqusoy; then
WO

w i l l bo ab10 t o u s t n b l i e h tho n o d f o r ccco?t?qco and coanunity in-

volvonont of an u ~ c t r o n i s i n g and genuinely h a l p f u l nctuxo.