Description

It is argued that there are many points of critique to current federal policies in relation to Indigenous people in Australia. In this opinion piece, the author focuses on one point: the renewed ascendancy of a discourse of barbarism and primitivism about Indigenous people. He discusses various government initiatives which have emphasised that the only way assimilation can be achieved is through the force of law. He asserts that there have been many gains made by Indigenous people in the area of justice, such as night patrols, community justice groups, and Indigenous courts, and that these must be defended.