The Europeans living in these urban areas also alienated these Aboriginals, as they looked different, and acted differently to the Europeans. (Morgan, 2001) The late 1800s, to early 1900s were the times where children were removed from their Aboriginal parents when they were considered to be half-caste (half European, half Aboriginal) as they were considered to be easier to assimilate, and were sent to live in foster care, with white families, who taught them the western way of life, and provided them with clothing worn by European children, and names used by the community. Mission stations were set up to make Aboriginals wear European clothing, and adopt European names. As Aboriginal culture was not dominant in these times, white Australians found it easy to attempt to make Australia all white. This racist policy was exacerbated by the fact that Aboriginals were not allowed to attend the same venues, or be in the same area as white citizens, in places
In the late 1900s, particularly in 1967, Aboriginals were beginning to be accepted as being Australians, when a referendum was voted to allow Aboriginals to vote, and to be included as citizens in all censuses. This was the beginning to the end of the oppression of Aboriginals, however unfortunately today; reconciliation is still only a simple notion, not an action (www.dfat.gov.auaibhistory.html).
We have made many moves towards reconciliation, including the peoples walk over Sydney Harbour Bridge, in May 2000 to advocate reconciliation, and also other festivals and marches. However, today, socio-economic statistics suggest that indigenous Australians have poorer health, poorer levels of education, higher unemployment rates, and higher rates of poverty than non-Aboriginal Australians. 38 of Aboriginals live in need of housing, as opposed to non non-indigenous Australians, of whom, 17 are in need of housing. Indigenous families are 20 times more likely to be homeless than non-indigenous families. Death from diabetes is twelve times more common in Aboriginals than in non-indigenous Australians, and almost three quarters of the children living in the Kimberley region aged 5 or under are anaemic, and the mortality rate in women suffering from diseases such as cervical cancer is more than 8 times that of non-indigenous women. Over 60 of indigenous students do not complete school. Seven years ago the median weekly income for Aboriginals was 76 less than for non-indigenous Australians, and unemployment rates were higher for Aboriginal Australians than for non-indigenous Australians with a comparis
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