The Necessity of Reparation for Historic Injustices
Me too Guy. Enjoyed.
Further to the energy thing, my parents who I don't believe were particularly spiritual took one of several trips to Kunanurra to visit family. My late uncle who is indigenous was a grader driver, he had the keys to basically any closed off area over hundreds of square kilometres including all the pastoral leases and Aboriginal land. Apart from visiting the homestead where the Baz Luhrmann movie Australia was filmed which is/was closed to the public, which mum said was a thrill, my uncle took them way out into closed lands and showed them different rock art which he said he didn't know how old it was but definitely pre-dated modern Oz history. He didn't exactly say they couldn't take pictures but they didn't anyway out of respect.
Anyhoo, regards the energy of a place- as I said, I don't think my olds were particularly spiritual but I recall talking to them about it and they both agreed that there was something bigger there that they couldn't comprehend. Mum said it was like their bodies were tingling or maybe they were just in awe having witnessed something very few people, let alone white people have ever seen. I guess having seen something with your own eyes your mortality becomes apparent and you may realise just how insignificant you are in the grand scheme of things. I think it would have been magic to see myself.
These areas are locked up and their precise locations kept secret but Mum said to this day it was one of the highlights of their travels and a great privilege.
That and Uncle George (RIP) got dad his first Barra.
zenagain wrote:Further to the energy thing, my parents who I don't believe were particularly spiritual took one of several trips to Kunanurra to visit family. My late uncle who is indigenous was a grader driver, he had the keys to basically any closed off area over hundreds of square kilometres including all the pastoral leases and Aboriginal land. Apart from visiting the homestead where the Baz Luhrmann movie Australia was filmed which is/was closed to the public, which mum said was a thrill, my uncle took them way out into closed lands and showed them different rock art which he said he didn't know how old it was but definitely pre-dated modern Oz history. He didn't exactly say they couldn't take pictures but they didn't anyway out of respect.
Anyhoo, regards the energy of a place- as I said, I don't think my olds were particularly spiritual but I recall talking to them about it and they both agreed that there was something bigger there that they couldn't comprehend. Mum said it was like their bodies were tingling or maybe they were just in awe having witnessed something very few people, let alone white people have ever seen. I guess having seen something with your own eyes your mortality becomes apparent and you may realise just how insignificant you are in the grand scheme of things. I think it would have been magic to see myself.
These areas are locked up and their precise locations kept secret but Mum said to this day it was one of the highlights of their travels and a great privilege.
That and Uncle George (RIP) got dad his first Barra.
Zenagain. Hi mate.
So good, thanks for sharing that experience. Sounded wonderful.
I think you’re totally correct, when we visit sites of significance and have a fair idea of its time scale of history, things foreign to most of us can get our brains in rapid fire mode. And, I can easily see and understand why your parents felt that way.
To them and rightly so, it’s way bigger than they’ve ever imagined.
To think, they are standing there before rock art, that was painted thousands of years ago and individuals also stood there in the same spot painting the art, it’s like you’re sharing the same room just at different points in time. You’d have to feel something, wouldn’t you.
The Barramundi sounds good. AW
Most definitely AW.
There's a walking track in the hills behind my house, I take my dogs there often. It's an old trade route for want of a better term where inland people would bring rice and other stuff to the coast and trade for fish. The route goes for miles but the furtherest I've walked in is about 6 hours.
Along the way there's little what I guess would have been rest areas, usually close to natural springs- and they have little stone 'cairns' (is that the right word?) with inscriptions carved into them. I think they're buddhist. These places pre-date Australian history by 1000 or so years and obviously pups when compared to our own indigenous history but it's pretty cool to sit down for a breather knowing someone sat down in the same spot 1000+ years ago.
zenagain wrote:Most definitely AW.
There's a walking track in the hills behind my house, I take my dogs there often. It's an old trade route for want of a better term where inland people would bring rice and other stuff to the coast and trade for fish. The route goes for miles but the furtherest I've walked in is about 6 hours.
Along the way there's little what I guess would have been rest areas, usually close to natural springs- and they have little stone 'cairns' (is that the right word?) with inscriptions carved into them. I think they're buddhist. These places pre-date Australian history by 1000 or so years and obviously pups when compared to our own indigenous history but it's pretty cool to sit down for a breather knowing someone sat down in the same spot 1000+ years ago.
Zenagain. Hi again.
It’s very cool indeed to ponder those who’ve sat before you.
That track paints a great picture, your tracking it now and others did well before you.
Yep, cairn is the correct name, something inscribed on a marker or on a plate of some type.
Anything heralding and defining a moment in history.
Would you have any photos of that track ?
I’m sure many would love to see it, mostly me. Cheers. AW
Great stuff ^^ guys,
That morality thing you mention @zen would most certainly come into those occasions, to reflect on how insignificant we are when faced with overwhelming evidence of something much greater, was it Steve Pezman that talks of our insignificance in terms of a blink of an eye or even a drain of sand?
Hi AW, just quickly as I don't want to stray too far from the original subject which has been fascinating reading btw, but I only have a couple of pics. I can't say for certain but these have been here since around the 8th century so about 1300 years or so so I've been lead to believe.
Lots of stuff in the area- I live in Jonan which literally means south of the castle and the remnants of that old castle (very little remains) is in a little park just before I get to the trailhead to start my hike.
Ps- that's my old boy, sadly passed away a few years ago.
Totally Guy.
As we rocket towards the future it becomes more and more apparent how insignificant we are. Soon all of us will be a distant memory and not long after that any trace of our existence will be lost forever.
I guess if we're to 'live on' we can only do so in the genes of our children but because I sadly have no kids of my own, it stops with me.
I recommend planting a tree if you want to leave a legacy.
zenagain wrote:Totally Guy.
As we rocket towards the future it becomes more and more apparent how insignificant we are. Soon all of us will be a distant memory and not long after that any trace of our existence will be lost forever.
I guess if we're to 'live on' we can only do so in the genes of our children but because I sadly have no kids of my own, it stops with me.
I recommend planting a tree if you want to leave a legacy.
Zenagain. Hope you’re well.
Nice photos, love ya old boy, bet he loved that track.
The stone cairns, the partial seclusion and sheltering of the track, access to water, I bet your mind has travelled way back in time on more than one occasion and postulated about what went on.
How could it not with that degree of attached history.
Nice to see it’s all intact, no vandalism, from what I hear Japanese people are very honest, respectful of others and their belongings.
My son once left his phone and wallet in a Tokyo sushi train cafe, returned 6 hours later to see both items in the exact place he left them. He was blown away.
No matter what type, history defines us as a nation , without it we stand for nothing.
I recommend planting a tree on top of my earthen grave, thus continuing a line of biological energy acquired over my lifetime and using microbes as vectors to the next generation of energy users. Good one. AW
AlfredWallace wrote:VelocityJohnno. Hi pal. Hope your whole clan is well.
Agree totally, teach it all, after all it is ‘our’ history both the original and current occupants.
Not forgetting the history of other international explorers to come here, early French and Dutch mariners, Houtman , the Batavia boat and massacre, Baudin,
I’m very much an ‘I am, You Are, We Are Australian’ kind of guy, alas my heart still lies with aboriginal history, mostly because of their link to the land and all biota, but that’s just my view.
I would have loved to have seen the Australian natural landscape prior to European settlement.
Alas, I can also gain similar satisfaction about hearing of the deeds of Gregory, Burke & Wills and so on.Xavier Herbert wrote in my opinion very accurate accounts of early Australian History. Some would agree, others may not. AW
Hi AW, agree, Poor Fellow My Country opens up with a way it all could have been different...
And what SR mentioned above about the energy of Bells/Jarosite through Addis is so true, we can feel it, it draws my son and I to go there. Nothing like surfing a 20s period forerunner swell there, I've wondered about the energy and what it does to us (not just the steep walk back up!). Rock monoliths?
I'd like to add dig up early encounters of d'Entrecasteaux and the Aboriginal families down near Cockle Creek, the accounts of these make for a great read.
Edit NW coast of Tasmania, Tarkine coast, THAT place has a feel to it! Otherworldly.
Fantastic reading @AW, @Guy, @Zen.
Nothing to add but just appreciate reading these tales that span time and country.
And yep, the land definitely speaks. Songlines for sure.
Cheers.
velocityjohnno wrote:AlfredWallace wrote:VelocityJohnno. Hi pal. Hope your whole clan is well.
Agree totally, teach it all, after all it is ‘our’ history both the original and current occupants.
Not forgetting the history of other international explorers to come here, early French and Dutch mariners, Houtman , the Batavia boat and massacre, Baudin,
I’m very much an ‘I am, You Are, We Are Australian’ kind of guy, alas my heart still lies with aboriginal history, mostly because of their link to the land and all biota, but that’s just my view.
I would have loved to have seen the Australian natural landscape prior to European settlement.
Alas, I can also gain similar satisfaction about hearing of the deeds of Gregory, Burke & Wills and so on.Xavier Herbert wrote in my opinion very accurate accounts of early Australian History. Some would agree, others may not. AW
Hi AW, agree, Poor Fellow My Country opens up with a way it all could have been different...
And what SR mentioned above about the energy of Bells/Jarosite through Addis is so true, we can feel it, it draws my son and I to go there. Nothing like surfing a 20s period forerunner swell there, I've wondered about the energy and what it does to us (not just the steep walk back up!). Rock monoliths?
I'd like to add dig up early encounters of d'Entrecasteaux and the Aboriginal families down near Cockle Creek, the accounts of these make for a great read.
Edit NW coast of Tasmania, Tarkine coast, THAT place has a feel to it! Otherworldly.
VelocityJohnno.
Hi VJ, hope you’re well.
Wholeheartedly agree with your comments. There’s definitely energy around Bells, Winkipop, Jarosite.
As you know, it’s rarely flat and as you say, if have a 20s period swell that ends at those cliffs and reefs well it’s gotta get dissipated somewhere.
That region magnetises us to play in that playground.
Under water turbulence on big days at Bells is comparable to underwater at Lances Right, Icelands and Rifles in Indo.
I’ve been stripped of my boardies at those Indo locales.
On big days at Bells, legrope around the neck stuff when I was around 18 years old whilst on ‘rinse cycle’, it definitely packs a punch.
I’ll check out your recommendations for the aforementioned channel and its aboriginal occupation.
The NW area, Tarkine on the West coast of Tassie definitely has energy, I’ve seen 20ft waves roll into areas around Trial Harbour .
That wilderness area situated on the Western Tiers sits on PreCambrian geology, approximately 3 billion years old.
‘People of Australia, We live in a very, very old place,
The aboriginal people have lived here for 40,000, 50,000, 60,000 years, They didn’t sell it to anybody, They didn’t give it away for toys, They didn’t trade it in for houses up the coast, They had it stolen off them, they had it nicked off them,
People of Australia, Our continent is immense, it’s unique in the world, but it needs our wise management.’ (Midnight Oil). . AW
@GuySmiley,
reading your posts above about Impossos, I think I know you to say g'day. I think we might have chatted a few times.
Do you ride Outer Island boards?
If not,tell me what you would be riding out there at that beautiful reef they disparagingly call "cowards corner" at the reefs further south, and I will come up and say g'day if I see you , and we can team up in the line up and block some of those greedy fuckers.
Just on building coastal steps/trails,....i did a year of doing the coastal trails for National Parks in the Deep Creek Conservation Park in SA. Was the BEST job. Often my coworker and i would down a few mushies, or light up a joint and then slowly plod away, gathering boulders from the hillside to arrange as steps, stopping for a snooze when exhausted, with the Southern Ocean sprawled out beneath you, Kangaroo Island in the distance. Incredible coast, with a mysterious isolated energy. Nobody will remember me working there because the chances of crossing paths with other humans was almost none. Lived in an old farm dairy out there overlooking a valley/ocean vista. Magic stuff.
And back to Bells. and what @vj said...which i loved....I honestly couldn't put into words what it is i love so much about that place. It's the energy. It does seem to vibrate at a higher frequency or something. Even the colour of the bloody cliff is radiating!
Still rate the Pt Campbell coast as my fave. The energy there is second to none in my opinion.
AlfredWallace wrote:soggydog wrote:AlfredWallace wrote:southernraw wrote:AlfredWallace wrote:seeds wrote:I’m the same vintage.
Crickets about blackfellas history.
I was in Darwin high schools.
Bloody good footy players to play alongside. Many still barefoot back then. Talented!Seeds. Hi mate. Hope you going great guns. Apologies, haven’t spoken for.
awhile.
I must say, your ‘night moves’ have been cracking me up, you’ve obviously been on night shift. Some great evening and wee hours dribble,I , (10 of us actually, all from Geelong and Surf Coast) played football in 1984 in Albany for Railways Football Club. We had two houses, five guys in each, we were always the talk of the town.
Played against Denmark twice a year, nearly all Aboriginal players, They were talented and quick, one game there were 8 players all with the surname Long.
So from the boundary you’d hear their supporters yelling out ‘Go Longy, Go Longy, go, go Longy, go Longy, get it Longy, such fun, very fair players, we always shook hands at the end.
I played half back flank, one game against Mt. Barker, one of the Krakouer boys ( who went onto to play AFL) was on me, forget which one, they and him were so quick.
On one occasion I’m looking around for him and the next thing he’s standing on my shoulders taking a speccy. My mates ribbed me all night back on the beers at the clubrooms. AWThe Rails eh!! haha classic stuff AW.
It's the one and only time you'll see me say up the Maggies!!
haha.
Very enjoyable reading above from all.Southernraw. Right around your corner. Hi mate.
Rails, yeah, we definitely went off the rails, cops hated us.
Might have been a few nasal rails ingested also.
We one the flag in 1984, I played seconds, me other mates , big guys played firsts.We had two houses of ill repute and all the towns young crew loved us, especially the ‘lady’ types. Unbridled youth, may it never fade into oblivion. AW
Hey AW. Was Alan Wattling the coach back then?
Soggydog. Morning mate.
Yes he was indeed. Good guy and somewhat of a decent coach.
He loved us guys. He thought we were on it all the time (beers) but we weren’t it was choof.
Most of us were on The Bob Hawke Surf Team, a few worked and sometimes we all worked under false names, for fuck sake we were 19,20 and 21 year olds, having the time of our lives. Wasn’t much work around in Albany in 1984.
A very picturesque place with wonderful plant and animal life. Not so good on the surf front, had to travel for decent waves. Good stuff. AW
Ha ha classic, I went to school with Alan’s oldest son. We moved down here in ‘85. Old man was the local detective. So you may or may not have met him too.
Surf hasn’t changed, still gotta put in the k’s to get a wave.
Unemployment capital of WA when I finished school in the early 90’s.
All the best.
soggydog wrote:AlfredWallace wrote:soggydog wrote:AlfredWallace wrote:southernraw wrote:AlfredWallace wrote:seeds wrote:I’m the same vintage.
Crickets about blackfellas history.
I was in Darwin high schools.
Bloody good footy players to play alongside. Many still barefoot back then. Talented!Seeds. Hi mate. Hope you going great guns. Apologies, haven’t spoken for.
awhile.
I must say, your ‘night moves’ have been cracking me up, you’ve obviously been on night shift. Some great evening and wee hours dribble,I , (10 of us actually, all from Geelong and Surf Coast) played football in 1984 in Albany for Railways Football Club. We had two houses, five guys in each, we were always the talk of the town.
Played against Denmark twice a year, nearly all Aboriginal players, They were talented and quick, one game there were 8 players all with the surname Long.
So from the boundary you’d hear their supporters yelling out ‘Go Longy, Go Longy, go, go Longy, go Longy, get it Longy, such fun, very fair players, we always shook hands at the end.
I played half back flank, one game against Mt. Barker, one of the Krakouer boys ( who went onto to play AFL) was on me, forget which one, they and him were so quick.
On one occasion I’m looking around for him and the next thing he’s standing on my shoulders taking a speccy. My mates ribbed me all night back on the beers at the clubrooms. AWThe Rails eh!! haha classic stuff AW.
It's the one and only time you'll see me say up the Maggies!!
haha.
Very enjoyable reading above from all.Southernraw. Right around your corner. Hi mate.
Rails, yeah, we definitely went off the rails, cops hated us.
Might have been a few nasal rails ingested also.
We one the flag in 1984, I played seconds, me other mates , big guys played firsts.We had two houses of ill repute and all the towns young crew loved us, especially the ‘lady’ types. Unbridled youth, may it never fade into oblivion. AW
Hey AW. Was Alan Wattling the coach back then?
Soggydog. Morning mate.
Yes he was indeed. Good guy and somewhat of a decent coach.
He loved us guys. He thought we were on it all the time (beers) but we weren’t it was choof.
Most of us were on The Bob Hawke Surf Team, a few worked and sometimes we all worked under false names, for fuck sake we were 19,20 and 21 year olds, having the time of our lives. Wasn’t much work around in Albany in 1984.
A very picturesque place with wonderful plant and animal life. Not so good on the surf front, had to travel for decent waves. Good stuff. AWHa ha classic, I went to school with Alan’s oldest son. We moved down here in ‘85. Old man was the local detective. So you may or may not have met him too.
Surf hasn’t changed, still gotta put in the k’s to get a wave.
Unemployment capital of WA when I finished school in the early 90’s.
All the best.
Soggydog. Hi fella.
Great you’ve got a story. Are you still in Albany ?
I know it’s been talked about for decades, but Middleton (Dribbleton) Beach mostly a straight hander close out is about to get its artificial reef. I do hope it works.
We use to clock up miles, Gull Rock, Muttonbird, Nanarup, Sandpatch, Cheynes Beach, Denmark, Ocean Beach, Parry’s, Salmon Holes, Blowholes, we went everywhere. A fair few shark encounters at those crystal clearwater locales, Muttonbird and Gull Rock.
Great times around that neck of the woods.
A few of us are heading over to Albany on Anzac Day weekend , Railways are having a reunion and the grand opening of their new clubrooms.Good stuff AW
Great stuff AW. I reckon you have to break the South Coast up into legs if you're looking for surf and commit to just that one leg that day. A whole section of coast can take up at least half a day of walking/driving/walking/driving and then to even get out to the surf often requires a long cliff descent, half a k of soft sand beach and alot of long paddles if it's over a certain size. Good surf here requires being at peace with meeting your toothy maker because if it's a good size you're always a long way out in the ocean here. Not to mention the hellcrew right out in the deep black water surfing the slabs. They're another breed entirely! Hopefully some waves over Anzac weekend that I might be able to bump into you at mate. The swell is a guarantee as you know ;-)
southernraw wrote:Just on building coastal steps/trails,....i did a year of doing the coastal trails for National Parks in the Deep Creek Conservation Park in SA. Was the BEST job. Often my coworker and i would down a few mushies, or light up a joint and then slowly plod away, gathering boulders from the hillside to arrange as steps, stopping for a snooze when exhausted, with the Southern Ocean sprawled out beneath you, Kangaroo Island in the distance. Incredible coast, with a mysterious isolated energy. Nobody will remember me working there because the chances of crossing paths with other humans was almost none. Lived in an old farm dairy out there overlooking a valley/ocean vista. Magic stuff.
And back to Bells. and what @vj said...which i loved....I honestly couldn't put into words what it is i love so much about that place. It's the energy. It does seem to vibrate at a higher frequency or something. Even the colour of the bloody cliff is radiating!
Still rate the Pt Campbell coast as my fave. The energy there is second to none in my opinion.
Southernraw. Hi pal.
You and your workmate are very naughty boys.
There’s not a chance in hell I could work on mushies, maybe a small joint but fuck. Was your finished product up to speed ?
I bet you had a great time, getting paid also.
Port Campbell area, Gibson Steps, Two Mile, Elevators, Easter Reef, whatever you want to call it, now that’s an entirely different kind of very serious energy.
You’ve gotta pay to play down there.
Water fitness well before surf fitness, you need to be able to survive serious hold downs in mostly cold conditions. You can have that.
Kangaroo Island, again, the west end gets a lot of energy, interesting geological features also, many areas with half a billion year old strata. We’ve got it all in Oz, spoilt. AW
The Rifle Range works well for me @AW. And agree 100%!!
btw the finished product was sublime, especially through the forest sections!! haha
southernraw wrote:The Rifle Range works well for me @AW. And agree 100%!!
Nice mate. You sound very comfortable in the big stuff.
All valid points about chasing surf around the SW of WA, you can often chase ya tail all day to no avail. Did venture east of Bremer Bay a few times, surfing around the Hopetoun, Ravensthorpe area, beautiful country, oh, the Flora, outstanding.. AW
haha far from it @AW. A work in constant progress, as i'm sure you'd understand.
Yeah the flora and fauna of this region is outstanding. Generally the talk amongst friends here is the surf, and the nature. Some pretty wild tangents we go off on. Inspired by the forces at play in this area. Pibbulmun country, Noongar nation, some amazing energy here. I guess that's what drew me to it.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/36792433
Uni assignment i did a few years ago. This is my take on things. I'm sure this will ruffle many feathers. I hope so.
Love Blue Diamond x
The Necessity of Reparation for Historic Injustices
Introduction – Compensatory Justice
Disparities between the standards of living of humans on this planet have long been a part of our history on this planet. From the wealthy nations of the West to the developing and undeveloped nations on this globe, the diversity in the quality of life when viewed from a moral standpoint are without a doubt grossly unfair.
In this paper I will look at why historic injustices do require some form of reparation. I take a strong stance that we are more obliged to solve current injustices than to provide reparation for every act of injustice in the past. In doing this I will first investigate the historic injustice of the Aboriginal people of Australia and I will look at the argument that they are entitled to some form of reparation and why.
I will incoroporate some interesting views from Jeremy Waldron, Robert Nozick and others which will help me slowly build to my conclusion that reparation should be in the form of Non Indigenous Australians surrendering some of our priveleges as a form of reparation.
Historic Injustices to Indigenous Australians:
Australia the continent was well inhabited for many years long before white settlement. It is commonly known that in 1788 Australia was colonised as a country under the rule of the British Empire, with total contempt for the fact that it was already inhabited by a native indigenous race of people.
The way the original inhabitants have been treated, including forced assimilation, execution, stolen families and not even allowed to be recognised as citizens for a large part of white Australia’s history are also well known facts. (Poole, 1999,pp114-142)
There exists now a situation where there is a large divide between Aboriginal and non Aboriginal Australian’s that can be traced back to the moment Australia was invaded by English settlers and the brutal and unfair treatment that has followed.
So at this point now, in 2013 what is the just and fair way to make amends for past actions?
I would argue that a moderate to large amount of reparation is overdue for this nation of people, the Aboriginal people. But there are many challenges to this view point especially that of how much reparation, and what sort of compensation.
Past injustices or present suffering?
One of the questions raised in an issue like this is whether it is better to provide compensation or reparation for past deeds, which have already been done in a previous generation and cannot be changed, or whether it is better to now provide assistance to those who are suffering in their current situations and consider that as a form of moral duty.
To understand this we need to delve a little deeper into this issue and hear some differing viewpoints.
Firstly we need to understand what the best way to provide reparation. How do we judge what is the best way of giving back and how much? Jeremy Waldron states “The historic record has a fragility that consists, …in the sheer contingency of what happened in the past” (Waldron,1992,p5 )
This is saying that we can’t trace every single injustice back to the original act therefore reparation for every act would be almost impossible because it would ultimately be guess work.
In this statement he has an objection from Robert Nozick who believes it is in fact possible to address this problem by “changing the present so that it resembles how the past would have looked had the injustice not taken place” (McKenzie, 2013)
This would be a way to ultimately provide maximum reparation, but is it the correct approach? I believe this is a fairly radical approach, although it does have some merits in the fact it would be working in a positive way for indigenous people, I don’t think it is entirely the right way to deal with these issues but it is on the right track.
Waldron argues that it is based on too many unknowns. “The status of counterfactual reasoning about the exercising of human reasoning of human freedom is unclear”(Waldron 1993,p10)
Which leaves the question somewhat open about the sort of reparation that is required, but provides one clear answer to the key question. Both agree that yes, reparation to some extent is required. But how much and in what form?
Another philosopher who leans more towards Waldron’s views is Kymlicka. He is somewhat more straightforward in his assessment that property rights in particular for Aboriginals would create “massive unfairness” and also he maintains the argument “Aboriginal rights must be grounded in concerns about equality and contemporary disadvantage. (McKenzie, 2013) I agree with both these views but I don’t think they provide any active solutions.
The Solution?
So if its not handing back all of Australia’s land to the original inhabitants that is the most appropriate way to deal with past injustices, then what is?
I look at the current country I grew up in, as a white Australian. I ask myself why I never had Aboriginal friends growing up, no understanding of Aboriginal culture and why my basic understanding of Indigenous Australians is mostly 200 years old. I look at our flag, a symbol of a nation that stole a country from its original inhabitants, with no recognition of the Indigenous people at all on it. I see that Australia considered Indigenous people as less than people until only 40 years ago and I see the way that Indigenous Australians live a completely separate life to the way of life I know as an Australian. I see that the only indigenous politician I am aware of is a former Olympian and it is because of this fact of her sporting status that I know this. I see no collective power or representation of Indigenous Australians and I see non Indigenous Australians,( a culture built on a history of stealing a land and mistreating its people) still taking, taking as much out of this land as they can, with little to no regard of sharing or giving to the original inhabitants. I see a government that says lots of words about ‘closing the gap’ and bringing the living standards of non- indigenous and indigenous Australians closer together, but apart from nice words, there is no conviction, no follow through, just assimilation , and all that still remains are injustices.
As stated by Sparrow, “Continuity gives rise to responsibility on part of present generations of Australians for our history”.(McKenzie,2013). Although deeds happened in the past beyond our control, what we do now to either ignore, or rectify these issues will reflect on us in history. So if we choose to do nothing, we are contributing to the history of the mistreatment of non- indigenous Australians. And this is simply unacceptable in my opinion.
Conclusion
So what is fair? I believe that the way forward is a surrendering of some of our privileges as non- indigenous Australians. The simple fact is it was morally wrong without a doubt what has happened in the past. And it is also morally wrong without a doubt to ignore these facts and not offer some form of reparation in the present. But how much?
I think that going back to Robert Nozick’s argument is a start. I think Nozick is wrong to make the present resemble the past in every aspect. But I do think that it would be reasonable to restore some aspects of the way things should be. The things that happened in the past were out of our control and we can’t go back to changing the way things were. But we could change the way things are.
For some examples. Why not give at least 50% of political power to indigenous people? It surely would be a fair thing to do considering this is their country. Media control. 50 percent. Industry. Realestate. The list goes on. Why do we not acknowledge the indigenous people on our flag, or better still use their flag? Why is Australia still a part of the Commonwealth when it serves little purpose to any of us and serves as a constant reminder to Indigenous Australians that they are still controlled by the original invaders. These to me are fairly simple reparations that would have minimal impact on Australia as a whole. Perhaps, it would alter the way we live but I think it is our responsibility, morally to forfeit some of our privileges for the greater good. Basically a little bit goes a long way.
In closing, it is a fact that a huge injustice occurred to the Indigenous population and suffering continues to this day. There is no easy solution to such a burden of pain. I believe the only solutions are for the non- Indigenous population to take responsibility and sacrifice our own way of life to bring about an overall equality. Sacrifice is not an easy word. But it all comes down to right and wrong. We are in a position to give, in this current generation. What are we so scared to lose, that was never ours in the first place??
Bibliography
McKenzie,C.”Prof” (2013), Lecture, Historic Injustices and Indigenous Rights, Macquarie University
Poole, R. (1999). Nation and Identity.Routledge, London, pp.114-142
Waldron,J. (1992). ‘Superseding Historic Injustice’. Ethics, 103 (1), 4-28
References
Poole, R. (1999). Nation and Identity.Routledge, London, pp.114-142
Waldron,J. (1992). ‘Superseding Historic Injustice’. Ethics, 103 (1), 4-28