Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have lived in Australia for over 65,000 years, making them one of the oldest living cultures in the world. That is why Indigenous Australians are also referred to as Australia’s ‘first people’ or ‘traditional owners of the land’. The term, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, represents two groups of peoples. Aboriginal people inhabited mainland Australia and Tasmania, whereas Torres Strait Islanders are from the islands between Australia and Papua New Guinea. When British settlers colonized Australia in 1788, it was estimated that there were more than 750,000 Aboriginal people living in the country, 500 clan groups and 250 different Indigenous languages spoken, each with their own unique beliefs and cultures.
Population and language
Today’s Australia is
home to about 813,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. They represent just under three percent of the population and most live in
major cities and regional areas. According to the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, there are more than 250 Indigenous languages and approximately 800 dialects in Australia. Overall, less than ten percent of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population in Australia currently
speaks an indigenous language at home. This loss of language and other important cultural heritage has been attributed to past government policies which saw Aboriginal children removed from their families. This has become known as the Stolen Generation, for which the Australian government officially acknowledged and apologized in 2007.
Indigenous disadvantage
Following the apology to Australia’s Indigenous peoples, the Closing the Gap Framework was established. When it originally began in 2008, the Framework specified seven targets in which the state, territory, and federal governments would work to close the gap in Indigenous disadvantage. These targets included improving
life expectancy, education, and economic participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Some areas were considered to be on track in 2022, including those related to early childhood education, youth detention, and adult unemployment, and several more were considered to be progressing. However, several targets remained off track. For example, Indigenous Australians are still underrepresented in higher education institutions and
overrepresented in unemployment rates.
Health outcomes
Indigenous health indicators are also generally poorer than those of the non-Indigenous population. Although
smoking rates have dropped below 50 percent in the last decade, these rates are still considerably higher than those of non-Indigenous Australians. Indigenous Australians have an average life expectancy of around 8 years less than non-Indigenous Australians and
Indigenous child mortality rates are significantly higher. Considering these ongoing disparities, the Closing the Gap Framework has since been revised to include greater partnerships between government and Aboriginal organizations.
Culture
Cultural heritage is important to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and their knowledge, arts, ceremonies, and other cultural practices are traditionally passed on from one generation to another.
Modern Aboriginal art is highly valued in Australia and around the world for its unique style, symbolism, and spiritual stories from ‘the Dreaming’.
Aboriginal arts also receive recognition and support through dedicated funding, and contemporary Indigenous art forms continue to develop beyond paintings and dance and into film, television, modern music, and design.
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