Aboriginal People Under British Control
More than 210 years after British imperialists declared the continent terra nullius and colonized it aboriginal Australians continue to suffer, Treatment of the indigenous people during this time can only be described, at best, as sad. ... When the federation of Australian states adopted a constitution in 1900 the indigenous people were actively discriminated against. Aborigines were deliberately excluded from the Federal Parliamentˇ¦s powers to make laws ˇ§with respect to the people of any race for whom it is necessary to make special laws.ˇ¨ Any census was not to include ˇ§the aboriginal nativesˇ¨. ... Although some children benefited from the experience almost all lost their aboriginal identity and many were exploited by the system as a source of cheap labor. ... This period culminated in the establishment of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Commission (ATSIC) as a Commonwealth statutory authority in March 1990. ... ATSIC is involved in the process of government and develops and implements policies and programs for indigenous people as well as advising other government agencies and ministers.