Aboriginal communities in Western Australia are communities for
Aboriginal Australians
Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...
within their ancestral country; the communities comprise families with continuous links to
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...
that extend before the
European settlement of Australia
European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to:
In general
* ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe
** Ethnic groups in Europe
** Demographics of Europe
** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...
.
The governments of
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
and
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
have supported and funded these communities in a number of ways for over 40 years; prior to that Indigenous people were non citizens with no rights, forced to work for sustenance on
stations as European settlers divided up the areas, or
relocated under various Government acts.
''Aboriginal Communities Act 1979''
The ''
Aboriginal Communities Act 1979'' allowed Aboriginal councils to make and enforce
by-law
A by-law (bye-law, by(e)law, by(e) law), or as it is most commonly known in the United States bylaws, is a set of rules or law established by an organization or community so as to regulate itself, as allowed or provided for by some higher authorit ...
s on their land. Originally it only applied to the
Bidyadanga and
Bardi communities, but was subsequently extended to others.
Earlier stages of assistance
In the 1980s and 1990s, effort was made to support indigenous communities.
Politicisation of funding issues
In 2014 and 2015 the support of some of the communities was questioned in Western Australian and Australian political discussions.
In 2015 rallies were held across Australia and the world to protest the withdrawal of government support of the communities. A group of Aboriginal protesters set up
a camp on Heirisson Island, as "... a place of retreat for all Aboriginal persons who have been and will be forcibly removed by the West Australian Government".
See also
*
List of Aboriginal communities in Western Australia
Notes
{{reflist, 2
External links
Maps of indigenous communities in Western Australia Department of Indigenous Affairs
Layout plans for Aboriginal settlements in WA at the Department of Planning Lands and Heritage