• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

Could Australian Government's past treatment of Aboriginies be described as genocide?

peas_and_corn

Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2010
Messages
71
Reaction score
16
Location
Adelaide, South Australia
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Slightly Liberal
First I'll provide an exerpt from Kevin Rudd's apology to the Stolen Generation. Here is where the full speech begins, and here is where the quote is taken from.

But should there still be doubts as to why we must now act, let the parliament reflect for a moment on the following facts: that, between 1910 and 1970, between 10 and 30 per cent of indigenous children were forcibly taken from their mothers and fathers; that, as a result, up to 50,000 children were forcibly taken from their families; that this was the product of the deliberate, calculated policies of the state as reflected in the explicit powers given to them under statute; that this policy was taken to such extremes by some in administrative authority that the forced extractions of children of so-called mixed lineage were seen as part of a broader policy of dealing with the problem of the Aboriginal population.

One of the most notorious examples of this approach was from the Northern Territory Protector of Natives, who stated:

"Generally by the fifth and invariably by the sixth generation, all native characteristics of the Australian Aborigine are eradicated. The problem of our half-castes" - to quote the protector - "will quickly be eliminated by the complete disappearance of the black race, and the swift submergence of their progeny in the white."



Now here is the Convention on Genocide's definition of genocide:

In the present Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:

(a) Killing members of the group;
(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
(e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.


I believe that the stolen generation definitely fulfils part e, especially seen that it was part of a general policy to eradicate the Aboriginal people altogether.

Thoughts?
 
Re: Could Australian Government's past treatment of Aboriginies be described as genoc

First I'll provide an exerpt from Kevin Rudd's apology to the Stolen Generation. Here is where the full speech begins, and here is where the quote is taken from.





Now here is the Convention on Genocide's definition of genocide:




I believe that the stolen generation definitely fulfils part e, especially seen that it was part of a general policy to eradicate the Aboriginal people altogether.

Thoughts?

If you are talking about "e" then yes it could be considered genocide. The main point of doing that would be to destroy the culture of the Aborigines, which I would think would be genocidal in nature.

As genocides go, however it would be a minor one. I would suggest the actions of the aussie government in the 1800s towards the aborigines was worse though and would be classed as ethnic cleansing today if not genocide
 
Re: Could Australian Government's past treatment of Aboriginies be described as genoc

Well, I really don't consider the Stolen Generation to be an isolated action, but one that continued the policies that branch from the poor mentality of the 1800s. Hell, it was only in 1967 that they weren't classified as animals FFS.
 
Re: Could Australian Government's past treatment of Aboriginies be described as genoc

The very nature of the stolen generation was to eradicate the Aboriginal population, so it was genocide, however, technically, they weren't people. :mrgreen:
 
Re: Could Australian Government's past treatment of Aboriginies be described as genoc

Yeah, the whole 'terra nullius' thing caused a *lot* of problems.
 
Re: Could Australian Government's past treatment of Aboriginies be described as genoc

Australia took great steps to eradicate the Aboriginal languages, culture, and history. I think the desire to destroy a people's identity counts, even if not all of said people are dead. When they become someone else, the original people are gone.
 
Back
Top Bottom