Freedom Riders Australia PDF

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The Australian Freedom Riders of 1965 played a pivotal role in shaping the civil right freedoms for Indigenous Australians. Inspired by the Freedom Ride movement in the United States at the time, 29 students from the University of Sydney named themselves the Student Action for Aborigines (SAFA) and embarked on a tour around rural towns of New South Wales on 12 February 1965 in a hired bus. The Freedom riders became appalled by the systemic discrimination that took place and challenged the poor living conditions of Aboriginals through student protests and disobedience. Their attempt to expose the institutional racism in rural Australian communities was highly successful. They ultimately gained empathetic viewers through extensive media coverage to outvote the legislation for indigenous rights, eliminate the injustice of segregation and initiated medical and legal services within rural towns. The Freedom Riders inspired a cultural change in Australian communities by signifying the opposition of racial prejudice. Discrimination arose from the fact that Indigenous Australians were dispossessed from their land and forced to live on small settlements on the outskirts of towns without access to electricity or plumbing. Under those conditions, discrimination flourished and living conditions became deprived. Alike city dwellers, The Freedom Riders were aware of discrimination occurring in rural Australia, however, they were oblivious to the extent and nature of the occurrence. Witnessed first-hand by the students, Aborigines were denied access to hotels, cinemas, pools and other public buildings, furthermore, they were refused services in restaurants, cafes and clubs as documented in newspaper articles and the student Ann-Curthoys diaries. The SAFA demonstrated against the bigotry and local laws outside of segregated venues, they were often met with hostile locals fueled with race-hate who abused the students physically and verbally. Brought to light by national and international press attention, a pool ban at Moree was rescinded due to the SAFA’s efforts and the Freedom Riders sparked public debates regarding the inequality experienced by Aboriginal people. This led to the Australian Government signing the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination in 1966. Subsequently, local laws across Australia which discriminated against Indigenous Australians were eventually revoked. Thus, it bridged the social gap between Aborigines and white populations through the sharing of public facilities. Furthermore, they inspired Aboriginals to act against discrimination and fight for their rights, including land rights, preservation of culture and equal services. During that period, non-indigenous Australians began to reassess their beliefs and the existing culture of aboriginal race inferiority consequently diminished as those who viewed discrimination as inevitable gained the strength through witnessing the success of the Freedom Ride to support the cultural changes that essentially defined the Australian society today. The Freedom Riders were the igniters of change in Australian Politics for Indigenous Australians. They played a major role in gaining empathetic members in society to outvote the 1967 Referendum, which was an important step forward in urging for Aboriginal people’s right to vote, equal pay rates and personal freedoms. Before the political changes, Indigenous Australians were subjected to assimilation, discriminatory and genocidal policies as well as legislation which justifies for the forcible removal of Indigenous children from their families. Aboriginal Australians were denied the right to vote, excluded from the census and not classified as citizens under the constitution. Exposing the targeted racism of Government policies by the Freedom riders provoked shock and disbelief to pervade not only Australia but internationally. All of those contributing factors began to set escalating public pressure on

the Government. Two years later, the 1967 referendum which amended two clauses in the Australian Constitution, allowing Aborigines to be formally recognised as Australian citizens and counted in the national census was successfully outvoted with 90.77% “yes” votes. The Referendum supported significant changes in the Government system including the policy of self-determination in 1972 which replaced the policies of protectionism and assimilation. The change permitted Indigenous Australians to obtain their rights to cultural and linguistic maintenance as well as management of natural resources on their land. Consequently, The Freedom riders inspired changes in Government policies which allowed the establishment of welfare programs for Aboriginal populations as well as an improved legal system, defying injustice and also seeking accurate depiction of the treatments Indigenous populations receive. The SAFA were accountable for the numerous establishments of medical, legal and housing services and funds within rural towns for Aborigines. Throughout their journey, the Freedom Riders conducted surveys on Indigenous Australians, gaining detailed perspectives on the discrimination they endured in all aspects of their lives. It is revealed that the majority of the Indigenous population suffered from poverty, living in tin shanties with dirt floors in Government managed reserves. The substandard conditions gave rise to frequently preventable diseases. Rights to medical services were non-existent at the time as no funds were diverted to Aboriginal health care, thus mortality rate for Indigenous population was significantly higher as opposed to the non-indigenous population. In addition to prejudice they experienced, the legal aspects of Aboriginal’s lives were equally restricted. Indigenous Australians were not permitted to launch guilty pleas in court without advice from a welfare officer, had no right to a defence lawyer and were not allowed to appeal to a decision in court. They could only access white lawyers from under the government. With the help of media and public interest that arose from the Freedom Riders, the Government and Aboriginal communities began taking initiatives to improve their affairs and welfare. At the time, sixty-five thousand pounds were diverted to housing in Moree by the NSW Aborigines Welfare Board (Aboriginal Protection Board). Eventually, services comprising of National Aboriginal and Islander Health Organisation, Aboriginal Tent Embassy, House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and proposals including the ‘Ten Year Plan for Aboriginal Health’ was released by Aboriginal Health Branch of the Commonwealth Department of Health to achieve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and life expectancy equality. Ongoing efforts saw successes in reducing the rate of deaths for Indigenous Australians. The Freedom Riders were the precursors of political and cultural changes for Indigenous Australians throughout history. They successfully diminished the social gaps and cultural discriminatory barriers towards an accepting society. By inspiring a shift in attitudes towards prejudice and exposing the notoriously racist communities, they pressured the Australian Government to provide equal rights for Aborigines. Hence, the 1967 Referendum was favourably outvoted for the Indigenous population to head towards the same rights as nonaboriginal Australians. Thus, the movement permitted the establishment of medical, legal and housing services for the Indigenous community. The Freedom Riders embedded a seminal movement in civil rights history for the Indigenous people and their actions have been described as ‘one of those transitional moments in Australian history when one era fades and another takes its place’.

Reference list ‘one of those transitional moments in Australian history when one era fades and another takes its place’. ((Clark J. 2008, Aborigines and Activism - Race, Aborigines and the Coming of the Sixties to Australia, University of Western Australia Press: Crawley, WA).

Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. (2016). The 1965

Freedom Ride. [online] Available at: https://aiatsis.gov.au/exhibitions/1965-freedom-ride The article introduces the Student Action for Aborigines and explains how the students achieved national and international attention to racism and the poor living conditions at the time. This article is useful to my research topic as it provides some background information and evidence to support the point that racism was evidence in the past. This article will form some basis of my research as it is extensive and thorough. Big Ideas History Oxford Textbook. (n.d.). [online] pp.35–36. Available at: https://www.oup.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/134119/BIG_IDEAS_HISTORY_VIC_1 0_SAMPLE_CHAPTER.pdf [Accessed 19 Mar. 2020]. The pages 35-36 in the textbook offer simple and abbreviated information regarding some cultural and political changes that occurred due to the Freedom Ride. This article is useful to my research as it provides the basic topics and points I included in the Essay and helped my branch off into further and specific research. Charles Perkins and the Freedom Rides. (2019). Freedom Rides. [online] Available at: https://perkinsforfreedom.weebly.com/freedom-rides.html The website included information on the impact of the Freedom Riders as well as their aim, purpose, racism uncovered and background information.This article was useful to my research topic one of the paragraphs specifically assessed the outcomes of what the Freedom Riders achieved. The information presented was very broad, thus helping me gain an overview when writing my essay. SBS On Demand. (n.d.). Living Black Season 22 Episode 2 — Freedom Rides. [online] Available at: https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/420295747743/living-black-freedomrides [Accessed 19 Mar. 2020]. This documentary revisits the historical journey of the Freedom Riders. Its objective is to provide insight on what they encountered along their journey and displayed the prevalence of segregation and injustice. This documentary is useful for my research as it demonstrates changes that took place due to the actions of the freedom riders. UKEssays.com. (n.d.). The Rights For Freedom Of Aboriginal Australians History Essay. [online] Available at: https://www.ukessays.com/essays/history/the-rights-for-freedom-ofaboriginal-australians-history-essay.php [Accessed 19 Mar. 2020]. The website discussed what inspired the Freedom riders and their imprint in Australian society. This article was useful to my research topic as it provides many aspects of cultural and political changes in brief paragraphs. Therefore, it acted as a checklist to ensure I have included adequate research and information. Wikidot.com. (2009). Freedom Ride Accomplishments - Charles Perkins. [online] Available at: http://charles-perkins.wikidot.com/freedom-ride-accomplishments The website provided arguments for the benefits that the Freedom Rides in Australia brought to the Indigenous population. This article was useful to my research as there is an extensive paragraph explaining the short-term and long-term impacts of the Freedom rides which were essentially the cultural and Government policies changes. It was written in simple terms and introduced many specific terminologies....