Moving Forward Together in Aboriginal Women's Health: - Theses ...

Moving Forward TogetherJanet Kellypeople, that’s consorting (Lewis O Brien in Mattingley & Hampton 1998, p.145).This account highlights the personal cost and ‘on the ground effects’ of governmentpolicies. Even with official assimilation policies, Aboriginal people living insuburban and township areas continued to be subject to high levels ofdiscrimination, segregation and exclusion (Mattingley & Hampton 1998). OftenWestern concepts of health and hygiene were used to reinforce racial segregation.For example, in the 1950s Aboriginal people were still segregated into substandardparts of hospitals, banned from using swimming pools, barbers, and reusable cupsin milk bars (Curthoys 2002).A movement toward recognition, collaboration and inclusionThe 1950s and 60s were also a time of Aboriginal activism. In 1965 Charlie Perkinsled ‘freedom ride’ bus tours in rural New South Wales to protest against racialdiscrimination. With a positive result in the 1967 referendum, the CommonwealthGovernment officially recognised Aboriginal people as equal Australian citizensand legislated to provide national Indigenous health, education, housing andemployment programs. While many Aboriginal people took the opportunity to entertraining, higher education, work places and advocate more strongly for improvedconditions for Aboriginal people, the majority were unable to do so due to lack ofavailable resources, access issues and personal and family situations. In 1972Aboriginal people set up a tent embassy in Canberra to demonstrate for land rights.One of the unfortunate negative impacts of equal wages in outlying areas was thatmany pastoralists replaced Aboriginal workers with white workers during a time ofimproved technology and a downturn in the meat industry. This situation led tomany Aboriginal people having to leave meaningful employment and theirTraditional lands and move to the nearest towns. In the 1970s and 1980s Aboriginalpeople sought to establish homelands on their Traditional lands, enduring legal,bureaucratic and welfare battles to do so (Mitchell 2007).Integration, self determination and self managementFrom the mid 1960s onwards, government policy statements have discussedintegration, self-determination and self-management. Integration refers to an50