Aboriginal Studies Stage 6: HSC Course Social Justice and … · 30-06-1996 · Social Justice and Human Rights Issues . Part I • Topic 3 – Housing Community/ies to be studied

These materials ma y contain opinions that are not shared by t he Board of Studie s NSW .

Aboriginal Studies Stage 6: HSC Course Social Justice and Human Rights Issues

Part I • Topic 3 – Housing

Community/ies to be studied Topic area Unit duration

Wurundjeri Housing 7 weeks

Unit outline Skill focus

The focus of this Part is the examination of the social justice and human rights issues from a global

perspective, including a comparative investigation of two topics. This will be studied through a

Comparative Case Study on:

• the Local Aboriginal Community/ies (must be the same community/ies for all Parts) AND

• a National Indigenous Australian Community (may be different communities for each topic) AND

• an International Indigenous Community (may be different communities for each topic).

•

•

Analysing and making inferences from statistics

Synthesising information from a range of sources

Big ideas/Key concepts Why does this learning matter?

The key concepts students learn are that:

• the experience of colonisation still impacts on

Indigenous peoples around the world

• the relationship between Indigenous housing

issues and regaining land is significant

• Indigenous people have developed initiatives to

improve access to social justice and human

rights

The learning matters because:

• an understanding of the ongoing impact of colonisation is fundamental to understanding contemporary

housing issues for Indigenous peoples

• an understanding of the importance of regaining land is fundamental for social justice to occur

• it is critical to acknowledge and understand the role of Indigenous peoples in improving contemporary

cultural, political, social and economic life for their own communities

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Aboriginal Studies HSC Course: Social Justice and Human Rights Issues


Place in scope and sequence/Building the field Target outcomes

This unit draws on knowledge developed in the

Preliminary course, focusing on the colonisation of

Aboriginal peoples in Australia. Students will extend

this knowledge through a study of Indigenous people’s

housing conditions in Australia and overseas to enable

them to develop a deep knowledge and understanding of

contemporary social justice and human rights issues

common to Indigenous communities around the world.

H1.1 explains different viewpoints of invasion and colonisation and evaluates the impact of these

viewpoints on Aboriginal peoples

H1.2 analyses and discusses the social justice and human rights issues that are contemporary

consequences of the colonisation of Aboriginal and other Indigenous peoples

H1.3 assesses the representation of Aboriginal peoples and cultures for bias and stereotyping

H2.1 analyses the importance of land as an aspect of contemporary issues impacting on Aboriginal

peoples

H2.3 discusses and analyses consequences of colonisation on contemporary Aboriginal cultural,

political, social and economic life

H3.1 assesses the effectiveness of government policies, legislation and judicial processes in

addressing racism and discrimination

H3.2 evaluates the impact of key government policies, legislation and judicial processes on the

socioeconomic status of Aboriginal peoples and communities

H3.3 compares and evaluates current initiatives that reassert the social, economic and political

independence of Aboriginal and/or Indigenous peoples

H4.1 investigates, analyses and synthesises information from Aboriginal and other perspectives

H4.2 undertakes community consultation and fieldwork

H4.3 communicates information effectively from Aboriginal perspectives, using a variety of media

H4.4 applies ethical research practices

H4.5 compares and evaluates the histories and cultures of Indigenous Australian peoples with

international Indigenous peoples.

Content from Research and Inquiry Methods

H4.1 investigates, analyses and synthesises information from Aboriginal and other perspectives

H4.3 communicates information effectively from Aboriginal perspectives, using a variety of media

H4.5 compares and evaluates the histories and cultures of Indigenous Australian peoples with international Indigenous peoples

These materials may contain opinions that are not shared by the Board of Studies NSW.

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Students learn about (LA) Students learn to (LT)

• collecting data from primary sources

• secondary research including reading texts, reports, bibliographies,

accessing opinion polls, government statistics, print media, CD-ROM,

internet and other appropriate technologies

Processing information:

• analysing statistical data to interpret meaning and make generalisations

• converting raw data to a useful format

• analysing information from a variety of sources

• judging usefulness and reliability of data

• identifying propaganda and bias

• examine data to interpret meaning and differentiate between fact and

opinion

• distinguish between quantitative and qualitative data

• synthesise information from a variety of sources and perspectives

The learning experiences of this unit have been organised using the syllabus ‘Students learn about’ content statements.

Each of these is indicated in bold print at the top of each new set of learning experiences.

Each learning experience builds upon the previous learning experiences so that the student develops increasing knowledge and understanding of

the unit as they proceed.

On completion, students will have developed the depth and breadth of knowledge and understanding to independently examine the social and

justice issues relating to the Wurundjeri people AND compare and contrast this with other Indigenous communities.

The ‘Evidence of Learning’ activities build a body of knowledge, understanding and skills in the ‘Students learn to’ areas of the syllabus.

In most cases, the focus of the ‘Evidence of Learning’ activities is thus twofold:

• to enable students to show what they know and understand

• to provide opportunities to apply this to a range of problems and issues activities regarding the social and justice experiences of Indigenous

peoples.


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Websites Books/Articles Audio/Visual/Multimedia

http://home.vicnet.net.au/~ahbv

http://home.vicnet.net.au/~ahbv/homelessnessreport/welcome.htm

www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Files/Statement_of_Apology.pdf

www.ahl.gov.au

www.community.gov.au

www.yarracity.vic.gov.au/Council/Meetings/Meeting04.asp

www.jss.org.au


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5

Students learn about (LA) Students learn to (LT)

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

the impact of colonisation and subsequent events on Aboriginal housing and

the environment

statistics about Aboriginal people’s and communities’ housing standards

mainstream government housing programs and strategies to address Aboriginal

housing issues, including culturally appropriate programs and strategies

impact of housing on Aboriginal lifestyle factors

the importance of regaining land in addressing the housing situation for

Aboriginal peoples

Aboriginal initiatives to improve housing, including community-based

programs

social and political changes necessary to improve Aboriginal people’s housing

standards

similarities and differences in housing issues for Aboriginal and other

Indigenous peoples and communities

•

•

•

•

•

•

identify pre-contact Aboriginal systems and draw conclusions on the

impact of colonisation on Aboriginal housing and quality of life

use basic statistics such as tables, graphs and charts to assist in the

analysis of social indicators on housing

make deductions and draw conclusions using social indicators to

analyse current Aboriginal and Indigenous socioeconomic status in

housing

synthesise information to evaluate the connection between land,

culture and housing status

compare Aboriginal and other Indigenous peoples’ responses and

initiatives to improve their current socioeconomic status and housing

construct hypotheses about the future of Aboriginal housing and

assess the implications in relation to social justice and human rights

issues

Content from Housing



ions that are not shared

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Learning experiences Housing Evidence of learning

The impact of colonisation and subsequent events on Aboriginal housing and the environment

1. Students complete WORKSHEET 1. With these activities students will:

• locate and identify the Wurundjeri people

• present an overview of pre-contact Wurundjeri life, focusing on the importance of ‘country’ and ‘housing’

• recognise that the Wurundjeri people are one of four Aboriginal groups belonging to the Kulin people living in the

Melbourne district

• recognise that these four groups are exceptionally close, that they intermarried to strengthen ties and traded between

themselves

• identify that in the early 1830s they suffered dispossession of their homelands at the hands of the Europeans.

2. Students complete WORKSHEET 2 and WORKSHEET 3. With these activities students will:

• account for the impact of early European colonisation in the locality of Melbourne and its impact on the Wurundjeri people

• identify the impact of violence, disease, dispersal, dispossession and institutionalisation on Wurundjeri housing and their

environment.

3. Students complete WORKSHEET 4. With these activities students will:

• identify how the impact of colonisation resulted in dispersal and relocation to the area now known as Collingwood and

Fitzroy.

• develop an understanding of the disproportionate levels of social disadvantage, including separation from their homelands,

overcrowding and homelessness, that Wurundjeri face as a result of colonisation.

Students describe

traditional Wurundjeri

peoples and customs and

how colonisation

impacted on the housing

and environment of the

Wurundjeri people.

These materials may contain opin by the Board of Studies NSW.



Learning experiences – Housing Evidence of learning

Statistics about the Wurundjeri people’s and communities’ housing standards

Students undertake research to complete WORKSHEET 5 to review data and gather information about the levels of Indigenous

disadvantage across Australia, in Victoria and at the local (Yarra) area, with a focus on housing.

Students use three different sets of statistics to gain information about current levels of disadvantage facing Indigenous people,

both generically and specific to housing; as well as information about the Wurundjeri people in particular. Sources of statistics

include:

• Australian Bureau of Statistics: www.abs.gov.au

• Victorian Health: www.health.vic.gov.au

• Yarra City Shire Council: www.yarracity.vic.gov.au

1. Under heading (1) General Disadvantage of Indigenous Australians, students are to:

Use the information from WORKSHEET 5 (Source A: ABS Australian Social Trends Report 2000) to draw column

graphs or in a similar format show how the relative status of Indigenous people compares to the total population for the

following social indicators. Supply comments where appropriate.

• Population (as percentage of total population, where they live, and age structure).

• Education (post-compulsory participation and qualification rates).

• Employment (unemployment rates, types of employment, CDEP work).

• Income.

• Living arrangements/housing (number of people/household, size of income/capita, shared housing, home ownership).

Make detailed comments for this social indicator.

• Crime (prison rate and age, age and duration of incarceration, types of crime, role of violence).

• Health (birth weights, perinatal deaths, life expectancy, alcohol-related diseases, other diseases – eg diabetes, heart

disease etc).

2. Under heading (2) Relative Disadvantages within Indigenous Housing, students are to:

Use WORKSHEET 5 (Source B: Data from the 1999 ABS Australian Housing Survey – Housing Stock: Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander housing in non-remote areas) to present a summary of the information given in the form of

Indigenous compared to non-Indigenous Australians. You will need to draw up tables and/or graphs to show this summary.

(Note – these figures relate to those residing in non-remote areas, including rural towns and cities.) The summary should

include:

• number of Indigenous households renting compared with non-Indigenous

Students identify and

draw conclusions about

the key issues relating to

Indigenous housing.

Students synthesise

data/information to

construct graphs/charts

analysis of the

socioeconomic status of

Australian Indigenous

people compared to other

Australians.

Students synthesise data/

information to construct

tables/graphs/charts

analysis of the housing

status of Australian

Indigenous people living


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3.

• percentage of Indigenous living in non-remote areas for urban, major urban, rural

• household composition for couples with children, single-parent families, living alone, group

•

average number of usual residents per house

• percentage needing more bedrooms

• number of dwellings in need of repair

• weekly housing costs

• price of housing payments for buyers as a percentage of weekly income

• price of housing payments for renters as a percentage of weekly income

• housing history/duration of occupancy.

Under heading (3) Public Housing for the Wurundjeri People, students are to:

Use WORKSHEET 5 (Source C: The Community Profile – High-rise Public Housing, City of Yarra assessment of the

service needs of low-income families: Collingwood and Fitzroy Housing Estates. A Project of the Jesuit Social Services.

Author: Catherine Guinness, May 2000 (www.jss.org.au) to write a report about public housing conditions – where many

Aboriginal people live – for Aboriginal people in the City of Yarra. Include in your analyses references to age, income,

educational level, employment and reliance on social services. Describe living conditions in these estates, with specific

reference to:

• safety and level of crime

• community participation

• social interaction

• physical environment

• drug use

• lease and community relations

• education/training/employment.

Students list conclusions in the report.

in non-remote areas

compared to other

Australians living in non-

remote areas.

Students are to write a

report of the living

conditions of people in

the Collingwood and

Fitzroy high-rise public

housing estates.

Students are to draw

conclusions about how

lifestyle/socioeconomic

factors relate to such

aspects of public housing

as: safety and level of

crime, community

participation, social

interaction, the physical

environment, drug use,

community relations and

education/training/

employment.


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Mainstream government housing programs and strategies to address Aboriginal housing issues, including culturally

appropriate programs and strategies

Students recognise that:

• home ownership for Wurundjeri people is low

• the majority live in public housing

• The Housing Board of Victoria through the Aboriginal Housing Board of Victoria (AHBV), which it manages, is the provider

of public housing for many Wurundjeri people

• it also facilitates Aboriginal people to purchase their own homes

• together they offer mainstream housing programs for Aboriginal people in Victoria.

Students will use the activity sheets listed below and the Aboriginal Housing Board of Victoria website:

http://home.vicnet.net.au/~ahbv to locate answers to the following questions. They will discuss their answers with the rest of the

class:

• What is the AHBV’s history? (WORKSHEET 6) • What is its relationship with the Victorian Housing Board? (WORKSHEET 7)

• Identify the role, purpose, structure and functions of the AHBV. Describe the duties of Aboriginal Housing Services Officers

and the relationship between the AHBV and other Aboriginal Organisations. (WORKSHEET 7)

• Using the statistics in the section above relating to public housing in the City of Yarra, review public housing conditions in the

City of Yarra, especially the suburbs of Fitzroy and Collingwood.

• Research and make a summary list of the projects and activities employed by the AHBV regarding Indigenous housing.

(WORKSHEET 7 and WORKSHEET 8)

• Focus on the nature, issues and success of these projects and activities, particularly those relating to the high-rise public

housing estates in Fitzroy and Collingwood.

Students summarise the central issues made in the Aboriginal Housing Board Indigenous Homelessness Report

(http://home.vicnet.net.au/~ahbv/homelessnessreport/welcome.htm). (WORKSHEET 9)

In groups, students will discuss the broad meaning of Aboriginal homelessness, its specific impact upon Aboriginal people and

the summary themes and issues of:

• Indigenous culture

• poverty, income and employment issues

Students recognise that

the majority of

Wurundjeri people live in

public housing which is

partly managed by the

Aboriginal Housing

Board of Victoria

(AHBV).

Students identify

programs and initiatives

employed to address

Aboriginal housing

issues.

Students draw

conclusions about the

need for self-

determination (to involve

the Wurundjeri people in

the planning and

decision-making bodies)

to effectively address

issues relating to housing

for Aboriginal people.

Students identify the

programs employed to

address Wurundjeri

housing issues and

analyse their

effectiveness.


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• the complexity of service issues

• inadequate housing provision

• empowerment and disempowerment of policies and practices

• racism and discrimination.

Students develop a fact sheet on homelessness, identifying key issues and writing an explanation of the issues and how they

impact on the Wurundjeri community.

Students identify how the Victorian Aboriginal Rental Housing Program promotes Aboriginal home ownership, while providing a

culturally sensitive service for Aboriginal people seeking housing and appropriate accommodation at an acceptable price. The

scheme is administered by the Department of Human Services, but has a forward plan which will ensure that the service will be

administered by the Aboriginal community.

Students use WORKSHEET 10 (based upon information from the AHBV website http://home.vicnet.net.au/~ahbv) to identify its

primary focus and make judgements about its appropriateness, achievements and capacity to address Aboriginal housing issues.

Students outline the key features, role and achievements of this program.

Student research leading

to a class discussion about

the nature of Wurundjeri

homelessness and its

causes.

Students draw

conclusions about the role

of racism, discrimination

and homelessness and

analyse how practices of

self-determination will

effectively address

homelessness.

Students research and

make notes which

recognise the key

features, role and

achievements of the

Victorian Aboriginal

Rental Housing Program.


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Impact of housing on Aboriginal lifestyle factors

Teachers discuss the following with students:

• For most Aboriginal people, especially the Wurundjeri, colonisation had disastrous effects upon their lifestyle.

• Current statistical information regarding all social indicators shows this.

• The poor housing conditions of Wurundjeri people are a direct result of colonisation.

• Where and how the Wurundjeri live is a key integral component of the wellbeing of Wurundjeri people and has a huge impact

on their physical and spiritual wellbeing.

Students create a PowerPoint flow chart to illustrate this impact of housing on Aboriginal lifestyle factors. Working in groups,

students are to use the work they have done in this unit, including the statistical work, to discuss how housing impacts upon

lifestyle factors. To help, students should also refer to the work they have done with the Indigenous Homelessness Report and

public housing.

Students link the process

of colonisation to the

current socioeconomic

status of Aboriginal/

Wurundjeri people

(particularly housing).

The importance of regaining land in addressing the housing situation for Aboriginal peoples

Teachers lead class discussion to recall concepts covered in the Preliminary course regarding the significance of land (or country)

to Aboriginal people. The key point in this discussion should be that:

• ‘Without land (Country), the Wurundjeri people are without economic, social, spiritual and cultural identity.’ In what ways are

current housing initiatives addressing these issues?

Students recall and

identify the significance

of land to Aboriginal

people.

Students link this discussion to the Indigenous Homelessness Report which stresses how homelessness can have several

meanings, including: not belonging to traditional lands; separation from family and kinship networks; and not knowing about your

Indigenous identity or what your place is in the community. Students draw conclusions about housing and the following issues:

• The AHBV in 2000 affirmed that for the housing situation of Aboriginal people to improve, broader historical issues

(including rights to land) must be satisfactorily resolved.

• The Yarra Ranges Shire Council recognises the significance of land and cultural expression to the Wurundjeri people and is

committed to the principle of land ownership and maintaining cultural heritage to provide social justice and equality for the

Wurundjeri people.

Students read WORKSHEET 11 (source: www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Files/Statement_of_Apology.pdf). Using this and the

Indigenous Homelessness Report, students will explain why the recognition and provision of land rights is so important to

Students draw

conclusions about the

various meanings of

homelessness for

Aboriginal people and

how regaining land and

cultural maintenance can

help overcome Aboriginal

housing issues.

Students draw a link




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addressing the problem of homelessness for the Wurundjeri people. This will be helped when students review the work of

Nicholls and Cooper to appreciate more fully how and why land is enormously important to overcoming economic and social

problems such as housing for Aboriginal people.

Students develop a comprehensive list of issues related to the critical links between access to land and the range of socioeconomic

indicators – especially housing.

between Yarra Council

policy on reconciliation

and improving

Wurundjeri housing

conditions.

Aboriginal initiatives to improve housing, including community-based programs

Students identify how Aboriginal people and organisations have worked to achieve improvements in housing for Aboriginal

people in Melbourne. These will include:

• individuals’ activism such as Doug Nicholls and William Cooper

• Aboriginal Housing Board of Victoria (AHBV)

• Aboriginal women’s and homeless refuges

• Aboriginal hostels

• through lobbying, protest or developing practical solutions they have initiated and achieved a great deal.

In groups, students use their notes and ideas accumulated from earlier sections of this unit (the AHBV; the Indigenous

Homelessness Report at http://home.vicnet.net.au/~ahbv/homelessnessreport/welcome.htm; the work of Doug Nicholls and

William Cooper, the recommendations from the Community Profile Study of High-rise Public Housing and the Aboriginal Rental

Board etc) and by researching housing initiatives from the following list, develop a comprehensive mind map of how Aboriginal

initiatives try to improve housing:

• Aboriginal hostels (www.ahl.gov.au). Identify the six Aboriginal hostels in the Melbourne district. What is the name and

purpose of each?

• Aboriginal crisis housing (www.community.gov.au). Identify the six Aboriginal crisis centres in the Melbourne district. What

is the name and purpose of each?

Students make a database

of the initiatives taken by

Aboriginal people and

organisations to improve

Wurundjeri housing

conditions.

Social and political changes necessary to improve Aboriginal people’s housing standards

Students identify the purpose of the commissioning of the Yarra Aboriginal Partnership Plan (2004–2008):

• to develop a framework for Wurundjeri reconciliation and social justice

• to outline the social and political policies necessary to redress disadvantage and improve Aboriginal people’s living conditions

or housing standards within the City of Yarra

• to support the Federal Government’s process for Reconciliation at a community level.


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Students read the plan in draft format at www.yarracity.vic.gov.au/Council/Meetings/Meeting04.asp and report its major policy

statements and strategies. These could include:

• recognition of Aboriginal people’s culture and history and their role as traditional custodians of the land

• the need to work in partnership with the Wurundjeri people to make a real and tangible difference at a grassroots level

• the need to consolidate protocols and guidelines for Wurundjeri involvement, feedback and acknowledgement in decision

making

• to further work with the Yarra Aboriginal Advisory Group (AAG) which is made up of local Aboriginal organisations,

individuals and a Wurundjeri representative to provide a critical forum for ongoing consultation and dialogue between the

Council and the Aboriginal community across a range of issues such as culture, health, outreach services, community safety

and place management

• the recognition of cultural diversity, the denunciation of racial intolerance and a commitment to the process of Reconciliation

• greater opportunities for Indigenous housing and employment

• preserving and protecting Aboriginal cultural heritage and environments

• acknowledgement of Aboriginal levels of disadvantage: 152 males, 139 females – or 0.43% of the total population in 2001;

26.5% under 18 years – 0.31% of the total population; 8.8% unemployment, 56% in the workforce; 26% had completed Year

12 or equivalent; and 15% had tertiary qualifications.

Major projects included in the plan:

• Aboriginal Cultural Signage Project

• Facilitation of Aboriginal health, Outreach, community safety and employment services

• Sponsorship and support of mainstream services in cultural, social support and health promotion activities; AHBV NAIDOC

Week celebrations at the Collingwood Children’s Farm; Parkies Inc to produce ‘NAIDOC in the Park’ at the Collingwood

Housing Estate and the Nextwave youth festivals Indigenous program

• Commissioned the BEEM Artists to do a major mural at the Collingwood underground carpark

• Yarra Aboriginal Partnerships Plan

• Redressing disadvantage; racism and discrimination; empowering/sovereignty; Reconciliation/Treaty

• The Yarra Aboriginal Partnerships Plan is a grassroots attempt to change the social, economic and political fabric of the

Wurundjeri people in the Yarra Valley

Students compile

information about the

work of the Yarra

Aboriginal Partnership

Plan and list in dot points

those strategies which

will improve Aboriginal

people’s housing

standards.

Students analyse the work

of the Yarra Council in

the area of Reconciliation

and draw conclusions,

and present a PowerPoint

response to the following:

‘To redress the housing

issues facing Aboriginal

people, general issues of

disadvantage must be

addressed side by side


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• To be successful in improving Aboriginal people’s housing standards, changes needed on a much larger scope nationwide

• To address issues such as racism and discrimination, respect and equity, knowledge of our shared history, and sovereignty.

with those of racism and

land ownership. Discuss.’

Major Assessment Task

Using the Yarra Aboriginal Partnership Plan as background, students list points to support a response to the following question:

‘To redress the housing issues facing Aboriginal people, general issues of disadvantage must be addressed side by side with those

of racism and land ownership. Discuss.’

Other work in this unit may also be very useful.

Similarities and differences in housing issues for Aboriginal and other Indigenous peoples and communities

Working in groups, complete the grid framework in WORKSHEET 12 as evidence in support of a comparison of the similarities

and differences in housing issues in the three communities you have studied.

This work should be completed only when all three communities have been studied.

Students compare

similarities and

differences in the housing

problems facing the

Wurundjeri community

with housing issues

facing other Indigenous

communities.


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Evaluation of Unit

Teacher evaluation Comments/Variations

How did the unit rate in these areas?

Time allocated for topic

Student understanding of content

Opportunities for student reflection on learning

Suitability of resources

Variety of teaching strategies

Integration of Quality Teaching strategies

Integration of ICTs

Date commenced: Date completed:

Teacher’s signature Head Teacher’s signature


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Assessment notification and information sheet

(to be handed in with task for marking)

Name: _____________________________________________ Class: _______________

Topic: Social Justice and Human Rights Issues

Area: Housing

Task type: Extended response comparative exposition

Weight:

Due date:

Outcomes to be assessed

A student:

H1.2 analyses and discusses the social and human rights issues that are contemporary consequences

of the colonisation of Aboriginal and other Indigenous peoples

H3.1 assesses the effectiveness of government policies, legislation and judicial processes in

addressing racism and discrimination

H3.2 evaluates the impact of key government policies, legislation and judicial processes on the

socioeconomic status of Aboriginal peoples and communities

Context of the task

Students will complete this task towards the end of the unit on housing.

The task

Write an extended response of approximately 1200 words to the following question. How successful have mainstream government programs and strategies been in addressing those Wurundjeri housing issues which have developed as a result of colonisation and subsequent events?

Task requirements

Your response should:

(a) Briefly outline the impact of colonisation on the human rights of the Wurundjeri community of

Victoria (250 words).

(b) Describe the key housing needs of the Wurundjeri community (250 words).

(c) Outline the mainstream government programs and strategies to address the housing needs of the

Wurundjeri community (400 words).

(d) Compare and evaluate the effectiveness of these programs and strategies in addressing housing-

related issues and the lives of community members (300 words).

Criteria for assessment

Students will be assessed on their ability to:

• research and organise relevant information from a variety of sources including the use of

information technology

• present information clearly from Aboriginal and other perspectives

• compare and evaluate the impact of government initiatives on specific issues related to housing and

the lives of Indigenous peoples.



Task component % Teacher’s comment

Concise and accurate outline of the

impact of colonisation on the human

rights of the Wurundjeri community

15

Identification of the key housing needs

of the Wurundjeri community

15

Outline of mainstream government

programs and strategies to address the

housing needs of the Wurundjeri

community

40

Comparison and evaluation of the

effectiveness of these programs and

strategies in addressing housing-related

issues and the lives of Wurundjeri

community members

30

Overall comment and final grade or mark

Sample marking schedule/feedback sheet

Note: Teachers may wish to attribute marks or grades to the various components of the task.


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Social Justice and Human Rights Issues Part I • Topic 3 – Housing

Worksheet 1 – Pre-colonisation Life

Source: Melbourne Botanic Gardens

Website: Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne www.rbg.vic.gov.au Click on: Education � Secondary � Indigenous programs � Aboriginal Resource Trail. Use this source to help you with the activity below.

Activity

Design a visual profile entitled: Wurundjeri people and their use of the land prior to

colonisation.

Focus areas could be:

• location

• land management

• environment sustainability

• diet

• utensils

• the ‘Dreaming’, and

• social organisation.


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Worksheet 2 – The arrival of the Europeans and life on ‘Coranderrk’

When the Europeans moved into the Wurundjeri lands they took the land and introduced

diseases. Major disputes occurred over land use. Violence, dispersal and dislocation

occurred.

• First contacts with Europeans occurred around the beginning of the 19th century, but

initial attempts to establish a settlement failed.

• William Buckley, an escaped convict, had already lived with the Wurundjeri for over 30

years when John Batman arrived in 1835. He was to become a valuable interpreter, but

eventually left the Wurundjeri to return to his former lifestyle.

• On 8 June 1835 John Batman, a representative of the Port Phillip Association, alleged that

he met with representatives of the ‘Yarra Yarra tribe’ who signed title deeds over much of

the land of the Woiwurrung to him.

• A Protectorate system was established in 1839 under a Chief Protector, George Robertson.

• The Batman ‘Treaty’ with the Yarra tribe in 1835 was subsequently disallowed by the

Government of the Colony of New South Wales, which maintained that only the Crown

had the capacity to make grants of land.

• Batman’s diary entry recorded: ‘The other five chiefs were fine men and after a full

explanation of what my subject was I purchased two large tracts of land from them about

600 000 acres more or less – and delivered over to them blankets, knives, looking glasses,

tomahawks, beads, scissors, flour etc as a payment for the land and also agreed to give

them a tribute or rent yearly.’

• A sub-branch of the Native Police Corps was set up in 1837.

• In 1859 the Goulburn and Wurundjeri men petitioned Protector Thomas to secure land for

them. Acheron Aboriginal Reserve was established in 1859 but was short-lived. The

Wurundjeri shifted to a site near modern-day Healesville in March 1863. An Aboriginal

reserve was established on 931 hectares and became known as ‘Coranderrk’, the

Woiwurrung name for the Mint Bush, or Victorian Christmas Bush (Prostanthera

lasianthos).

• The population grew from 40 to 105 residents by 1865. They cleared the land to become a

competitive farming community. Under Superintendent John Green, a bakery, butcher,

numerous houses and a schoolhouse were established.

• By 1874 the Aborigines Protection Board (APB) was looking to move the residents on,

seeing the land as too valuable for Aboriginal people, but Green and the residents fought

against this.

• In 1874 Green was forced to resign due to this. Coranderrk continued to be a reserve for a

further 50 years until its closure in 1924. Despite protests by the residents, they were

never paid for their work – they received only rations. Maintenance to the buildings was

neglected during this period (the huts were prone to dampness, the schoolhouse was

leaking and management had changed five times in ten years). The resulting poor health

of the residents was used as one more argument in favour of its closure.


20

Worksheet 2 (cont)

• In 1881 an inquiry into the Board’s activities at Coranderrk reported a lack of sympathy

for the residents, particularly for their health and wellbeing. The Board was criticised for

the ration system used on the reserve. The inquiry recommended that Coranderrk become

a permanent reservation in trust for the Aboriginal people living there.

• With the passing of the Aborigines Act (1886), often referred to as the ‘Half-caste’ Act,

numbers at Coranderrk began to fall. By 1905 there were only 72 residents left and in

1924 Coranderrk closed.

• All but nine of the residents moved to the Lake Tyers Church of England Mission Station;

the others refused to move.

• The remaining land went to the World War II soldier settlements in 1948. Few Aboriginal

people were allocated land under this scheme.

• Although the Victorian Government closed Coranderrk Aboriginal reserve in 1924 to

provide land for returned servicemen, the area was considered very significant by all those

Aboriginal people who had been relocated there. Their daily life had been almost totally

controlled by the managers who aimed to ‘civilise’ Koori people and suppress their

culture, and to make the mission self-supporting. Every able-bodied man was expected to

develop the ‘habits of industry’ by learning building, farming and livestock management.

The women were taught domestic duties which they were expected to apply to the homes.

The manager’s wife would inspect the homes daily. If she considered it below standard,

rations would be reduced or cut altogether. With poor sanitation, lack of water and no

electricity, a high standard was difficult to achieve.

• The children were made to attend school to learn the ‘3Rs’. The boys often helped out

with farm work and the girls with the domestic work of the manager and his family.

• The residents had to attend church, sometimes daily – seen as an important part of

‘civilising’ them.

• Children were commonly separated from their parents to live in dormitories attached to

the manager’s home or the schoolhouse. The manager undertook discipline, even when

opposed by the parents.

• Being forced off the Reserve divided families and communities and the move towards

assimilation – merging Koori individuals, families and identity into the broader Australian

society – further weakened them during this period.

• With the closing of ‘Coranderrk’ and the effects of the Great Depression of the 1930s,

many Wurundjeri gravitated to the city.


21

Worksheet 2 (cont)

Activities

1. Why was Batman’s ‘Treaty’ with the Wurundjeri not recognised by the government at the

time?

2. The role of the Protectorate for Aborigines and the Native Police was to safeguard the

Aboriginal peoples in Australia against the negative impact of European settlement. Were

they successful?

3. Watch the video ‘Women of the Sun – Part 3 (Nerida Anderson)’. It describes the

condition of Aboriginal people on missions like Coranderrk. Using the above notes and

the video, write a report describing living conditions on the mission and the impact

mission life had on Aboriginal people’s lives.

You should focus on:

• Housing conditions

• Relations with Europeans and the Welfare Board

• Aboriginal protest.


22


Worksheet 3 – Life in the city to the 1950s

This Worksheet has been adapted from Snapshots of Aboriginal Fitzroy (� City of Yarra

2002). It can be viewed at <http://www.yarracity.vic.gov.au/rates/Aboriginal Affairs/pdf/

snap.pdf/>

• During the mid-1930s the Aboriginal community of Melbourne consisted of about

10 or 12 families living in Fitzroy, with one or two families living in Richmond and North

Melbourne: about 100 people altogether.

• It was the Great Depression and times were pretty bad.

• Returned Aboriginal servicemen who had fought for their country in the First World War

were denied equality on their return to Australia. This prompted many to leave the country

areas where, because of racial tensions, they often lived as fringe dwellers.

• Those with lighter skin were refused access to the missions.

• As many men enlisted in the armed forces, their wives and families lived in the cities to be

with them.

• Melbourne was becoming the centre of the increasing fight for Social Justice by

Aboriginal people.

• A prominent figure in the early 1940s was Pastor Sir Doug Nicholls, whose church in the

Fitzroy and Collingwood area is remembered as the place where ‘the contemporary or

modern Aboriginal movement all started’.

• Nicholls provided a focus for the community and the various pubs in and around Fitzroy

and Collingwood were also an important focus for community meetings.

• Pastor Doug went on to argue for citizenship rights, representation in Parliament and

assistance for Aboriginal communities.

Wurundjeri housing conditions

Much of the accommodation in Fitzroy in the period from the 1940s onwards comprised

rooming houses, Fitzroy boarding houses and shared housing in Fitzroy, Collingwood and

Carlton.

A report in 1950, The Dark People of Melbourne, sought to examine the difficulties that

Aboriginal people encountered in Melbourne, and detailed the extent of overcrowding.


23

Worksheet 3 (cont)

The homeless (the ‘parkies’) and the gardens and lanes of Fitzroy

For many Aboriginal people who had no permanent residence, the gardens and the area

around the Moreton Bay fig trees were also a temporary residence. The ‘parkies’ in Fitzroy

also frequented numerous small lanes and alleys.

The ‘parkies’ community was integral to maintaining community links and, even more

importantly, confirming the history of those people who were often ignored or rejected by

mainstream society. The shared body of knowledge of the ‘old fellas’, as Archie Roach called

them, was important for confirming identity and belonging. Consistent with the maintenance

of the Koori identity was the renaming of all of the sites around Fitzroy by the ‘parkies’. The

lanes and alleys were all given different names from those on the street signs.

William Cooper, reserves and Aboriginal organisations

William Cooper was forced by the Depression to move to Melbourne from Cummeragunja

Aboriginal Mission in 1932. He developed he Australian Aborigines League which, along

with its counterpart in New South Wales, the Aborigine Progressive Association, was

instrumental in pushing the issue of Aboriginal welfare to the forefront of public attention in

the southern states.

Although he was nearly seventy, Cooper took on the role of organising the fight for

Aboriginal rights. The Melbourne Aboriginal people who were drawn to the side of William

Cooper included many other former Cummeragunja residents, including Margaret Tucker,

Shadrach James and Pastor Sir Doug Nicholls.

The major initiatives of the Australian Aborigines League during its early days included the

petitioning of King George V to allow for the inclusion of an Aboriginal representative in the

Australian Federal Parliament and the centralisation of existing state administration of

Aboriginal affairs under the Federal Department of Native Affairs. The most significant

event, however, was the organisation of the National Day of Mourning to coincide with the

1938 celebrations of the sesquicentenary of the arrival of the First Fleet on 26 January 1788.

A joint statement was prepared by the Australian Aborigines League and the Aborigines

Progressive Association which, in part, declared that:

The 26th of January 1938 is not a day of rejoicing for Australia’s Aborigines; it is

a day of mourning. The festival of 150 years of so-called ‘progress’ in Australia

commemorates also 150 years of misery and degradation imposed upon the original

inhabitants by the white invaders of this country.


24

Worksheet 3 (cont)

Activity

Research the internet for Snapshots of Aboriginal Fitzroy. Read about the lives of Aboriginal

people in the History section of this wonderful document. This is a collection of oral accounts

tracing the living conditions of Wurundjeri people living in the suburbs of Fitzroy and

Collingwood – their original homeland – during the period from the 1930s to the early 1980s.

Use these notes and the summary above to outline the housing and environmental conditions

of the Wurundjeri people during this period. Ensure that you make brief notes under the

following headings:

• Where Wurundjeri people lived in the city

• Types of housing

• Overcrowding

• The sense of community

• Doug Nicholls, William Cooper and the Fight for Social Justice.


25


Worksheet 4 – Community profile – high rise public housing, City of

Yarra

Source: ‘The health and welfare of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

2005’ (Australian Bureau of Statistics & Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2005) www.aihw.gov.au/publications/index.cfm/title/10172

This source contains detailed information on the effect of housing on the health of Aboriginal

and Torres Strait Islanders throughout Australia, in the context of the impact of colonisation

and subsequent events on Indigenous housing.

A timeline for Aboriginal Fitzroy

1886 The Aborigines Protection Act is introduced, which allows the Board for the

Protection of Aborigines (BPA) to prescribe the place of residence of any ‘full blood’

Aboriginal person. This is the beginning of the policy of assimilation that was to be practised by BPA in Victoria until 1966.

1941 The Fitzroy Aboriginal community complained about the comments made by Fitzroy

Councillors about their behaviour. The local police commented: ‘These Aborigines

give us very little trouble … although there are about 100 of them in the district we

rarely have to arrest any of them.’

1943 Pastor Sir Doug Nicholls established the Gore Street Fitzroy Church of Christ Aboriginal Mission.

1958 The first Aboriginal girls’ hostel is opened in Cunningham Street, Northcote, by the

Chairman of the Aborigines Welfare Board.

1961 A ‘Conscience Calling Ball’ is held at the Northcote Town Hall to raise money for the

appeal being conducted by the Aborigines Advancement League to raise funds for the

construction of another Aboriginal youth hostel.

1969 Pastor Sir Doug Nicholls presents a petition to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs calling for a better deal for Aboriginal people.

1978 First State Aboriginal Housing meeting held in Collingwood, which results in the

establishment of a steering committee.

1981 Inaugural meeting of the Aboriginal Housing Board in Melbourne. It establishes its

office at 108 Smith Street, Collingwood.


26

Worksheet 4 (cont)

1982 In protest at the closure of the Aboriginal Community Youth Support Scheme, the

Aboriginal community occupied the offices of the Department of Employment and

Youth Affairs.

South Eastern Land Council supports the claim of descendants of the Gunai, Werrungery and Bunurong tribes to 27 acres of Clifton Hill. First Annual General Meeting of the Aboriginal Housing Board is held in Northcote and the first annual report is circulated.

The State Government approves a submission by the Aboriginal Housing Board for the creation of the position of Aboriginal Housing Liaison Officers.

1985 The first State Aboriginal Housing Conference is held at Camp Jungai.

1987 Aboriginal Housing Board transfers to new premises in Gertrude Street, Fitzroy.

1988 Community protests follow evictions.

The Aboriginal Housing Board holds its second Statewide Housing Conference in Mildura.

1990 Funding for the Koori Kollij is cut.

1995 Aboriginal Housing Board transfers to its new office at Scotchmer Street, North

Fitzroy.

2000 Aboriginal Housing Board celebrates its 1000th property purchase in Shepparton. Aboriginal Housing Board appoints its first Chief Executive Officer.

2001 Aboriginal Housing Board 20th anniversary.

Activities

1. One impact of colonisation was the dispersal and relocation of the Wurundjeri people

from their homelands to the area of suburban Melbourne now known as Collingwood and

Fitzroy. Why and how did this happen?

2. From an analysis of the above timeline and source, what are the disproportionate levels of

social disadvantage that the Wurundjeri people face as a result of colonisation and

subsequent events? Consider in particular:

• separation from their homeland • overcrowding • homelessness.


27


Worksheet 5 – Statistics and information

Source A: Australian Bureau of Statistics ‘Australian Social Trends Report 2000’

(go to www.abs.gov.au then type ‘social trends 2000’ in search box.)

Source ‘A’ provides information on population characteristics and social conditions of

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in general, with emphasis on the Wurundjeri

people of Victoria.

To analyse and make inferences from the data in the ABS report regarding the topic of

Housing, look particularly for relevant information under the headings:

• population

• education

• employment

• income

• living arrangements

• crime

• health.

Source B: Data from the 1999 Australian Bureau of Statistics ‘Australian Housing Survey

1999’ (go to www.abs.gov.au then type ‘housing survey 1999’ in search box.)

In 1999, nearly 60% of Indigenous households were renting their homes, compared with

27% of non-Indigenous households. (ABS Australian Housing Survey 1999)

In particular, look for data relevant to Indigenous people:

• housing stock: housing in non-remote areas • housing history • other household information, including:

– location

– composition

– utilisation

– condition – occupancy – costs.


28

Worksheet 5 (cont)

Source C: ‘Assessment of the service needs of low-income families: Collingwood and Fitzroy

Housing Estates. A project for Jesuit Social Services’ (Catherine Guinness, 2000) (go to http://old.jss.org.au/media/reports/cg_doc.pdf)

Search the Community Profile – high rise public housing, and note in particular the table

‘Public housing tenants in Yarra, 1996 – key statistics’ which contains important data on

Indigenous tenancy rates in Collingwood and Fitzroy. Also research other detailed

information from this source on:

• household composition

• income

• crime and safety issues in high rise accommodation, including:

– drug and alcohol abuse issues

– police and community relations

– education

• aspects of life for tenants on the estates, such as:

– social interaction

– physical environment

– provision and use of playgrounds

• education questions, such as:

– low school enrolments from the estates

– strategies to deal with this, such as after-school study programs, alternative schooling approaches etc

• health issues related to all of the above.


29

Worksheet 5 (cont)

Activities

General

Gather information about the levels of Indigenous disadvantage across Australia, in Victoria

and in the Yarra (Collingwood and Fitzroy) local areas, emphasising housing and associated

problems. Other sources of up-to-date statistics include:

• Australian Bureau of Statistics www.abs.gov.au

• Victoria Health www.health.vic.gov.au

• Yarra City Council www.yarracity.vic.gov.au

Activity 1 based on Source A: General disadvantage of Indigenous Australians

Compare the status of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, using column graphs or other

graphical format, for the following indicators:

• population (as proportion of total population, where they live, age structure)

• education (post-compulsory participation and qualification rates)

• employment (types of employment, employment/unemployment rates, CDEP

work)

• living arrangements/housing (number of people per household, per capita

income, shared housing, home ownership). Make detailed comments on this

social indicator

• crime (prison rate vs age, age and duration of imprisonment, types of crime,

role of violence)

• health (birth weights, perinatal deaths, life expectancy, alcohol-related disease,

other disease, eg diabetes, heart disease, other)

Activity 2 based on Source B: Relative disadvantages within Indigenous housing

Summarise the information in Source B as Indigenous vs non-Indigenous Australians, using

tables and/or graphical presentation. Note that Source B relates to residents in non-remote

areas, including regional towns and cities.

The summary should include:

• the number of Indigenous households renting compared with non-Indigenous

• proportion (eg percentage) of Indigenous people living in non-remote areas for

urban, major urban and rural areas

• household composition for couples with children, single-parent families,

living alone, group

• average number of people usually resident per house

• proportion (eg percentage) of dwellings needing more bedrooms

• number of dwellings needing repair

• housing costs per week

• price of housing payments for buyers as a proportion of weekly income

• price of housing payments for renters as a proportion of weekly income

• housing history/duration of occupancy.


30

Worksheet 5 (cont)

Activity 3 based on Source C: Community profile, Collingwood and Fitzroy

housing estates

Write a report about public housing conditions for Indigenous people in these locations. In your analyses, include references to age, income, level of education, employment, and reliance on social services. Describe living conditions in these estates, referring especially to: • safety and level of crime

• community participation

• social interaction

• physical environment

• drug use

• lease and community relations

• education/training/employment.

List your conclusions.


31

1972 Federal Government federalised Aboriginal Affairs in accordance with the

referendum of 1967

1974 State Government agencies assume responsibility for Aboriginal Housing

1981 Inaugural meeting of the Aboriginal Housing Board of Victoria in Melbourne

Office established at 108 Smith Street, Collingwood

1982 First Annual General Meeting held in Northcote and first Annual Report

produced and circulated

Boards proposal on Aboriginal Housing Liaison Officers receives approval by the

State

1985 First statewide Aboriginal Housing Conference held at Camp Jungai

1987 Board transfers to new office premises in Gertrude Street, Fitzroy

1988 Community protest about evictions

Statewide Rental Arrears Strategy Meeting held in Echuca

Second statewide Housing Conference held. Future Ownership of the Aboriginal

Housing Program tabled and endorsed

1991–1993 Implementation of Forward Plan proceeds throughout the three years

1995 Board transfers to new office premises at Scotchmer Street, North Fitzroy

Aboriginal Housing Section, DPD transformed into Aboriginal Housing Services

Unit, DPD and fee-for-service arrangement commences

1997 ATSIC Housing conference on future housing arrangements for Victoria held at

Camp Jungai

1999 Statewide elections for all Board Member positions

Board adopts amendments to its constitution at Special General Meeting held in

Melbourne

Forward Plan Strategy Workshop held at Mansfield

Policies and Procedures Workshop held at Thornbury


Worksheet 6 – History of the Aboriginal Housing Board of Victoria

(AHBV)

Source: www.ahvic.org.au


32

Worksheet 6 (cont)

Activity

Infer from the timeline how the Wurundjeri people became involved in the planning and

decision-making process that aimed to address issues related to housing for Indigenous

people, following the 1967 Referendum on Aboriginal citizenship.


33


Worksheet 7 – Profile of the Aboriginal Housing Board

The Aboriginal Housing Board of Victoria held its inaugural meeting in April, 1981. In 1990

the Board formally adopted a Forward Plan which aims for Aboriginal community ownership

of the Victorian Aboriginal Rental Housing Program by the year 2000.

Source: Aboriginal Housing Board of Victoria

Read the Preamble to the Aboriginal Housing Board of Victoria policy document at

http://home.vicnet.net.au/~ahdv/policy/preamble.htm or navigate from www.ahvic.org.au �

policy & procedures � preamble

Then read the following selections from the policy at http://home.vicnet.net.au/~ahdv/policy/

ahbv-a.htm#1.3 or navigate from www.ahvic.org.au � policy & procedures � section 1

In particular, see the following subsections:

1.3 Statement of purpose

1.6 Board membership

1.15 Election of Board members

1.16 Functions of the Aboriginal Housing Board

1.23 Metropolitan, Westernport Region Aboriginal Housing Services Officers

1.24 Aboriginal Housing Services Officer duties (dot points 10 and 11)

1.25 Differences between Aboriginal Housing Services Officers and other Housing

Services Officers of the Department of Human Services

1.26 Local Aboriginal community organisations

1.27 Statewide Aboriginal organisations.

Activities

1. What is the relationship of the AHBV with the Victorian Housing Board?

2. What are the:

• role

• purpose

• structure

• function of the AHBV?

3. Describe the duties of Aboriginal Housing Service Officers.

4. Outline the relationship between the AHBV and other Aboriginal organisations.


34


Worksheet 8 – AHBV projects and activities

Project activities undertaken by the Aboriginal Housing Board have included the following:

• convening local Aboriginal community tenant meetings

• co-convening statewide Aboriginal Housing Conferences

• developing an Aboriginal Housing Research Library

• completing a feasibility study into Aboriginal community control and ownership of the

rental housing program which led to the development of the Forward Plan

• developments on the future ownership of the Victorian Aboriginal Rental Housing

Program

• producing a cross-cultural awareness video for Office of Housing staff

• convening cross-cultural Awareness programs

• producing an annual plan for each year of operation

• organising and conducting in-house training courses and workshops

• conducting educational talks and providing information to students

• developing a Koori Tenant Handbook (two editions)

• developing information brochures on specific housing matters, eg Buying Your Home,

Rent, etc

• producing an exhibition of historical photographs and organising a statewide tour of the

exhibition

• producing a catalogue book of the historical photographic exhibition

• producing a poster with the theme ‘Elders’ during 1999, the International Year of the

Older Person

• co-organising a Family Day at Collingwood Children’s Farm for NAIDOC 1999.

Activity

Research and make a summary list of the above projects and activities, focusing on those

relating to the high-rise public housing estates in Collingwood and Fitzroy.


35


Worksheet 9 – Aspects of Wurundjeri homelessness

Source: ‘Victorian Indigenous Homelessness Study’ (Berry M, MacKenzie D, Briskman L

and Ngwenya T) prepared for the Aboriginal Housing Board of Victoria (August 2001)

http://home.vicnet.net.au/~ahbv/homelessnessreport/welcome.htm

The Aboriginal Housing Board of Victoria (AHBV) report on Indigenous homelessness states

that homelessness ‘may be considered as a spiritual issue of separation from home and family,

rather than being without a permanent dwelling … where whole communities have been

removed from their original homeland or experienced disruption of kinship relations.

Therefore, the first meaning of homelessness in this broader spiritual sense, is not belonging

to traditional lands.

A second meaning is separation from family and kinship networks and is a special issue to

members of the stolen generation.

A third meaning is not really knowing about your Indigenous identity or what your place is in

the community.

The way homelessness is defined will determine how policy is formed to help homeless

people and how that help is delivered.

Homelessness is not just seen as rooflessness, but the absence of secure accommodation.

Homeless people typically move around various forms of temporary accommodation.

The experiences of the Indigenous homeless may be an experience with many differences

from what non-Indigenous homeless people go through; and the needs of Indigenous people

who experience homelessness may also have unique features.

SAAP (the Supported Accommodation and Assistance Program) was established in 1985 to

consolidate a number of Commonwealth, State and Territory government program, assisting

people who are homeless. It is governed by Commonwealth legislation and works through

five-year funding agreements. Under the scheme homeless people are deemed those who have

inadequate access to safe and secure housing (ie housing which will damage their health,

threaten their safety, marginalise them by failing to give them access to adequate personal

amenities or economic and social supports that a home normally affords; or which places that

person at risk).

$227 million in 1996/7 was allocated under the program to an estimated 100 000 people with

some 13% identifying as Indigenous (who represent only 2% of the Australian population).


36

Worksheet 9 (cont)

In Victoria 4% of SAAP clients were Indigenous, yet they made up only .005% of Victoria’s

population. They were the third highest in Australia, behind the Northern Territory and

Tasmania and were about twice the national average homeless rate.

Reasons for this include: hostel occupancy rates have skyrocketed and people are not making

the transition to rental accommodations because of all the restrictions available; some are not

renting because they are not confident enough to find and seek rentals; some, especially

young women with children, can’t afford rentals or find appropriate care beyond SAAP.

The extended family potentially provides support and care but if adults in that family are

having serious problems then the young people are forced to leave and they become homeless.

Cultural differences impact upon the meaning of homelessness. With the traditional meaning

of homelessness there are three levels: Primary – without conventional accommodation

(living on the street/railway carriages etc); Secondary – moving between various forms of

temporary shelter (friends, refuges, hostels) and Tertiary – living permanently in single

rooms in private boarding houses without their own bathrooms. These don’t always correlate

with Indigenous meanings of homelessness, which makes it complicated. Should there be one

policy definition inclusive of all citizens? If so, can difference be expressed through

describing the needs of different groups?

Seven themes were identified within the report on homelessness:

• Indigenous culture, especially the importance of extended family, is holistic and must be

taken into account

• more Aboriginal workers are needed to work in the area of Aboriginal housing

• poverty, income and employment with financial sustainability, including the burden of

observing family obligations and sharing income amongst family members

• paying rental bonds

• the pressure put on Aboriginal organisations to help those facing rental arrears. In rural

areas families and individuals who maintain groups and communities near traditional

lands maintain links with their cultural roots but experience high rates of unemployment

in country Victoria

• complex service systems – there are multiple layers of housing provision, and support

services are confusing and complex with a barrage of culturally insensitive rules,

regulations and inconsistencies. Waiting lists are long and impede access

• inadequate housing provision – severe shortages exist in public and private sectors and

long waiting lists exacerbate overcrowding.


37

Worksheet 9 (cont)

Activities

1. Summarise the central issues raised in the Victorian Indigenous Homelessness Study.

2. Take part in group discussions of the broad meaning of Aboriginal homelessness, focusing

on these impacts upon the Wurundjeri people:

• effect on Indigenous culture

• poverty, income and employment issues

• issues around the complexity of obtaining services

• inadequate provision of housing

• empowerment and disempowerment of government policies and practices

• racism and discrimination.

3. Develop a fact sheet that identifies the key issues relating to Aboriginal homelessness, and

write an explanation of how these affect the Wurundjeri community.

4. How does the Victorian Aboriginal Rental Housing Program promote Aboriginal home

ownership? Emphasise points such as:

• the need for and extent of cultural sensitivity in the program

• assistance in seeking appropriate housing at an acceptable price for Aboriginal people

• the need for Wurundjeri people to become involved in planning and decision-making processes.


38


Worksheet 10 – The Victorian Aboriginal Rental Housing Program

Source: Aboriginal Housing Board of Victoria – Policy Document http://home.vicnet.net.au/~ahbv/policy/rental_housing_program.htm

The Department of Human Services is responsible for the administration of the Victorian

Aboriginal Rental Housing Program which has been built up by:

• the inheritance of 216 properties in 1974 from the ex-Victorian Department of Aboriginal

Affairs

• over 100 properties purchased from that date to 1980 with Department of Aboriginal

Affairs funds

• housing stock purchases from then onwards made under the Commonwealth/State

Housing Agreement Aboriginal Housing yearly funding allocation.

As at 30 June 1996, the number of Aboriginal housing stock properties provided under the

Victorian Aboriginal Rental Housing Program totalled 932.

All housing stock properties are permanent rental accommodation for Aboriginal families

only.

Promoting Aboriginal home ownership

In order to actively encourage Aboriginal home ownership the Aboriginal Housing Board

usually favourably considers requests received from Aboriginal Rental Housing Program

tenants who wish to purchase their rental property. The Department of Human Services

criteria for ‘Sale of Properties to Tenants’ apply (eg nil rental arrears etc) but excluding

minimum tenancy period and area embargo limits.

Aboriginal Housing Revolving Fund Account

Funds received from the sale of Victorian Aboriginal Rental Housing Program properties are

to be set aside in the Aboriginal Housing Revolving Fund Account to further strengthen the

program.

Cross-cultural Awareness Programs

The rationale for Cross-cultural Awareness Programs maintains that an important element for

the success of Aboriginal staff in the workplace is that the people with whom they are

working should be sensitive to Aboriginal culture. Moreover, Cross-cultural Awareness

Programs ensure that the Department of Human Services provides a culturally sensitive

service to the Aboriginal community.

As of May 1996, the Aboriginal Housing Services Unit, Department of Human Services, has

been responsible for organising and conducting three compulsory Cross-cultural Awareness

Programs per year, in order to:


39

Worksheet 10 (cont)

• raise awareness of Aboriginal culture and increase the understanding of cross-cultural

issues in the workplace

• foster relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal staff

• provide participants with specialist advice and information on aspects of Aboriginal

housing

• enable participants to gain an understanding of issues that are important to the Aboriginal

community.

Rights and Compensation

Title to all Victorian Aboriginal Rental Housing Program properties is held by the State

through the Department of Human Services. However, the successful implementation of the

program’s Forward Plan will ensure that title to such properties will eventually be transferred

to Aboriginal community ownership.

The Forward Plan

The original purpose and aim of the Aboriginal Housing Board is to help achieve full

community control and ownership of the program. During 1988 there was a storm of protest

and concern about Aboriginal tenant evictions which in turn led to a further demand for full

community control and ownership of the program. It is expected that once all areas of the

developed Forward Plan have been fully implemented, both the management and

administration of the Victorian Aboriginal Rental Housing Program will be completely

carried out by the Board and the handover of title to all properties will be a formality.

Spot Purchase program

The aim of the Aboriginal Housing Spot Purchase program is to buy housing stock suitable –

ie in terms of quality, size, location, standard and cost – to house applicants. Any Aboriginal

person or organisation may refer a property for sale by contacting the Board. The aim is to

provide suitable housing at the most suitable cost. The Aboriginal Housing Board does not

normally purchase vacant land; instead the general aim is to purchase established properties.

Activity

After class discussion with the teacher, groups create a flow chart in PowerPoint to show the

impact of housing on aspects of Aboriginal lifestyle.

Referring to the work you have done throughout this unit – including the statistical studies

and work on the ‘Homelessness’ report and public housing – address the following issues in

particular:

• For most Aboriginal people, especially the Wurundjeri, colonisation has had a disastrous

effect on their lifestyle.

• Current statistical evidence on all social indicators supports this.

• The poor housing conditions of the Wurundjeri are a direct effect of colonisation.

• Where and how the Wurundjeri live is a key integral component of their lives and has a

huge impact on their physical and spiritual wellbeing.


40


Worksheet 11 – The Yarra Ranges Shire Council Statement of

Apology and Commitment

Sources: www.yarrahealing.melb.catholic.edu.au/journeys/l_yarra.html www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/files/statement_of_apology.pdf

Activities

By analysing the Yarra Ranges Council’s Statement of Apology and Statement of

Commitment, together with the Victorian Indigenous Homelessness Study from Worksheet 9,

it is possible to explain why the recognition and provision of land rights is so important to the

understanding of the problem of homelessness for the Wurundjeri people.

It is helpful to review the work of Sir Douglas Nicholls – Pastor Doug – and his great-uncle

William Cooper (who founded the Aborigines’ League of Australia) to appreciate more fully

how and why land is so extremely important to overcoming economic and social problems

such as housing for Aboriginal people.

1. Develop a database on the work of Aboriginal people and organisations in bringing about

improvements in housing for the Wurundjeri people. Include factors such as:

• individuals’ activism – eg Doug Nicholls, William Cooper and others

• the Aboriginal Housing Board of Victoria

• Aboriginal women’s and homeless refuges

• Aboriginal hostels

• lobbying, protests or successful practical solutions by individuals and/or organisations.

2. What are the names and purposes of the six Aboriginal hostels in the Melbourne area?

(See www.ahl.gov.au )

3. What are the names and purposes of the six Aboriginal crisis centres in Melbourne? (The

website www.community.gov.au might assist.)

4. Why was the Yarra Aboriginal Partnership Plan (2004–2008) commissioned, and what is

its relevance to social justice and improved housing for the Wurundjeri?


41


Worksheet 12 – Grid sheet: housing comparison

Working in groups, complete the grid framework to demonstrate the differences and similarities in housing issues in the three communities you

have studied.

(Note: This work should be completed only after all three communities have been studied.)

Indicator All Australian Wurundjeri Nation 2 Community 2 Nation 3 Comunity 3 Community

Life expectancy (male)

Life expectancy (female)

Diabetes/100 000 (male)

Diabetes/100 000 (female)

Imprisonment rate/100 000

Home ownership rate

Continuing education to year 12

Average unemployment rate

Average annual income

Documents

Aboriginal Studies Stage 6: HSC Course Social Justice and … · 30-06-1996 · Social Justice and Human Rights Issues . Part I • Topic 3 – Housing Community/ies to be studied