Indigenous Australians: A Journey From Africa to Australia - Essay Sample

Introduction

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people form two distinct groups of Australia’s indigenous people also referred to as the Indigenous Australians or First Nations people. Apparently, these are the first groups of humans to migrate from Africa through the shores of India and Asia to the coastlines of Australia. As the name suggests, the Torres Islanders hail from the island of Torres Strait. It is believed that over the majority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people live in urban cities albeit most of those in remote areas face a myriad of challenges/disadvantages. Verifiably, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience inequality, cultural disconnection, discrimination among other challenges. These problems have been made worse by the stringent Australian policies which have silenced them barring them from contributing to important policies that impact their lives.

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There exists a gap between this indigenous group and the non-indigenous Australian group. Issues of discrimination, inequality, and health complications are commonly associated with the indigenous population. Organizations and individuals have researched in an attempt to identify ways of benefiting this group, especially in relation to their health, and close the gap therein. However, different research factors have hindered the efforts of reaching sustainable solutions for the Indigenous Australian population. This paper looks at these factors, how the group can be involved, and how the research can be of benefit to them. Different stakeholder policies and contributions will also be assessed to further determine the efforts geared towards addressing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health disadvantages.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People Health Research

Before the 1950s, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research had little regard among health researchers. The health needs of indigenous people had little or no recognition and thus researchers were not keen to dig up any new knowledge in the topic (Thomas et al., 2014). Rather than the health of indigenous people, health researchers during this time focused on the protection of the health of the white population in Australia. As a matter of fact, indigenous peoples’ health was considered of less importance for the belief that they were an inferior and primitive race who had the potential to diminish at any given point in time (Gray & Oprescu, 2015). Research clearly demonstrates the inequity in health issues that exists between the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the non-indigenous Australians. For instance, it is believed that most of the indigenous groups have a low life expectancy period, and are exposed to diseases more than non-indigenous Australians. Furthermore, the mortality rate of their infants is twice that of other Australians and they also suffer more chronic diseases as compared to the non-indigenous population (Wilson et al., 2016).

Sooner, researchers and other organizations realized the importance of conducting indigenous health research noting that it is vital in addressing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander disadvantage. It is nevertheless unpleasant that this research was dominated and controlled by non-indigenous Australians. Most researchers at this time conducted research on indigenous Australians basically for education, politics, or other factors. Specifically, research serves as a scientific process of gaining new knowledge and this knowledge should be of benefit to the dependent variable in question - this was never the case on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research. With time, the indigenous population lost trust in the research processes because neither of them was beneficial to them in any way; in fact, the non-indigenous researchers only conducted the researches on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, never with them. And when they were involved, the research process never respected their cultures.

Ideally, one of the ways of dealing with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health disadvantage is to change the narrative affixed to their health and wellbeing (Fogarty et al., 2018). This includes the belief that they are a primitive group set to slump at any point in time. Even so, the vexed questions remain, how do we involve the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People in health research in a respectful and culturally befitting fashion and how do we ensure they benefit from the research. The following literature provides the framework for inclusion of the indigenous Australians in research practices while considering cultural aspects and quality of the research processes.

Importance of Research Partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People

Heath research is important in any society to identify and mitigate issues and thus support individuals’ wellbeing. Likewise, research among the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is necessary, especially, given the health challenges they face compared to the non-indigenous Australians. Research with, rather than research on, is a crucial point of view in the subject of partnerships. However, previous researches have proved illegitimate and non-inclusive leading to mistrust among the indigenous population. Despite the belief by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people that health research has been of minimal benefit to their health (Thomas, et al., 2014), it is important to consider partnering with this group in moving the research efforts forward. Additionally, researchers should objectify the needs and wants of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in their research projects.

The National Health and Medical Research Council in Australia has the main responsibility of advising the research community on the maintenance of the highest standards of individual health and the need to further quality research. First and foremost, NHMRC (2003), notes an important point of consideration in the collaboration between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and researchers, which is culture. Seemingly, the group prefers being identified by terms that identify their cultural identity rather than being identified as indigenous. In this case names like Nyoongar, Nunga, and Koori are preferable. In regards to research, it is generally acceptable to uphold the notion of differences in culture in contemporary scientific inquiries. As a matter of fact, culture is a key determinant in the conduct of quality research aimed at bettering human development and wellbeing (NHMRC, 2003).

According to Laycock et al., (2011) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health research need to be guided by the prime concerns set by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. In fact, it is crucial to work collaboratively and involve the perspectives of the indigenous Australians so as to better realize showcase, and quantify health research benefits (Bainbridge, et al., 2015). It is also important to partner with the indigenous group to give research an understanding of their motivations and decision-making processes. Consequently, this supports research that meets the aspirations of the community and allows informed consent.

It is also apparent that Aboriginal people have in the past been exploited through research; instead, it is important to consider involving them in research. Given that they are among Australia’s oldest population they may possess the most valuable knowledge and research traditions vital in research. However, this indigenous group continues to question the credibility of research and its parameters in benefiting them. Unlike previous top-down research methods, it is necessary to empower the indigenous Australians with research power and control (Young, et al., 2016)

The Need to Pursue Research Which Must Foremost Benefit Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People

According to Brainbridge, et al., (2015) beneficial research in the context of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health is the research aimed at strengthening capacities, opening opportunities, and advancing health outcomes that are valued by the indigenous Australian people. Thus, first and foremost, the need to pursue beneficial research on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people lies in the enhancement of their capacities and advancement of their values of interest. Ideally, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can be considered as a dependent variable in health researches. For this reason, research outcomes should by all means benefit them. Research should be considered a means of helping them achieve their needs and aspirations rather than an end to their lineage. Research conducted on this group should, therefore, reflect their problems and resultant outcomes of dealing with these problems. The generation of new knowledge through research should help contribute to improvements of indigenous Australians health by providing valuable data on the nature of diseases, prevention measures, diagnostic and treatment parameters among the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.

Steps a Researcher Should Put in Place to Ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander are Equal Partners in The Research Process

One of the key reasons slowing the acceptance of research findings by indigenous Australians is the fact that they are never involved in research processes. It is no doubt that non-indigenous Australians still command and control research processes despite being conducted on the indigenous group (Bainbridge, et al., 2015). Non-indigenous researchers seemingly conduct descriptive research rather than participatory research (Bainbridge, et al., 2015). Undeniably, descriptive research has contributed more on documenting the magnitude of indigenous Australian disadvantage rather than creating an impact in improving their health condition. Consequently, it is believed that non-participatory research approaches have failed in addressing inequality issues between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians (Dadich, et al., 2019). Participatory research, however, is seen to democratize knowledge thus shifting the balance of control towards those being researched. Further, it considers researchers as participants in a research process whose work is to listen, learn, and offer service. Equal partnerships in this case can, therefore, be achieved through conducting participatory research with indigenous people, thus both parties have a stake in the process (Dadich, et al., 2019).

Another factor of consideration in ensuring equal partnership in the research process is to ensure that research is done is not only meant for the individual, institution, or professional needs of researchers but rather it should also address the needs of the Indigenous Australians. It is also notable that vast research has been conducted on the Indigenous Australians but with no improvements in their conditions. Therefore it is vital to implement measures aimed at improving their health outcomes. Research outcomes have shown the ways of improving Indigenous Australian peoples’ health; however, it is also clear that these outcomes haven’t been implemented.

How a Researcher Ensures that a Research Project Responds to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People’s Needs, Interests and Aspirations

The involvement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in research is a key consideration in ensuring a research project addresses their needs, interests, and aspirations. First, the research problem must be able to address an indigenous Australian disadvantage. According to key health research principles, a particular research problem must specifically exp...