Civil Rights and Freedom

• United Nations – was introduced, it was agreed that the international organisation was necessary to minimise global conflict. Purposes:   maintain the international peace and security, Faster positive relations among nations, and Promote societal cohesion and human rights
• UN Declaration of Human Rights - The UDHR recognises the dignity of all people and says that all human rights should apply equally to everyone.
• WA Aborigines Protection Act 1887 – An act to provide better protection and management of the Aboriginal Natives of Western Australia, and to amend the law relating to certain contracts such as Aboriginal Natives.
• WA Aboriginal Protection Act 1905 – An act to make provision for the better protection and care of the Aboriginal inhabitants of WA. The Act created the position of Chief Protection of Aborigines who became the legal guardian of every Aboriginal child to the age of 16 years.
• Assimilation Policy – “Assimilation means…that expected that all persons of Aboriginal birth or mixed blood in Australia will live like white Australians do”. Its purpose was to forget their heritage and prepare them for a western-style society. Denied the rights of Aboriginal people to act as parents
• “Stolen Generation” is used to describe the forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, who were taken from their families and placed into care families, from 1860s to 1970s.
• o   The removal of Aboriginal children were undertaken legally, justifying as protecting the children
• o   The children were not permitted to contact their parents and assimilated into western culture; children’s Aboriginality would be ‘bred out’ of them.
• Social Darwinism – the believe that some groups had an advantage over others due to do biological superiority. Removed children were trained in skills so that they become ‘effective citizens’ and taught work habits that would give them employment with colonial settlers. It was used as free or cheap labour.
• Assimilation Policy and Indigenous child removal persisted until the 1960s.
• The 1967 Referendum – sought to change the two sections of the constitution in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders people.
• o   Section 51: gave the Commonwealth power to make laws with respect to any race, other than the ‘Aboriginal’ in any state for whom it was deemed necessary to make laws.
• Governor General – is the King’s representative in Australia, appointed on the advice of Prime Minister
• Parliament – consists of the King (represented by the governor general), The Senate (Upper House), and The House of Representatives (Lower House)
• Separation of Powers – Power is divided between the executive that administers the laws, the legislature that makes the laws, and the judiciary that is responsible for the court system
• Constitutional Monarchy – a system of government is where the head of state in monarch, but power is limited by the constitution, it sets the rules for running Australia.
• Elections – all Australians can vote once they turn 18 years of age, voting is compulsory excepts for local elections.
• Democracy – Australia operates under the Rule of Law, which means all individuals and institution including the government, are subject to accountable under the law
• Federalism –acknowledges the unique identities and interest of the states and territories.
• Representative Government – citizens exercise their democratic rights by electing representatives to make decisions on their behalf