There are many myths that people spread simply because they don't know what the facts are. Make sure you know the REAL facts on areas such as land rights, employment statistics and alcohol, so you're not perpetuating the myths.

Land Rights and Native Title

Native title and land rights can only be claimed when nobody else has a legal interest in that land. Despite what some people think, there is no threat to your backyard from native title or land rights because native title cannot take away anybody else's valid rights. That includes access to public spaces such as parks, reserves and beaches.

Land Rights

Land rights schemes are in place in the Northern Territory, Queensland, and New South Wales. The only land that can be claimed is land that nobody else has a legal interest in - or land that is wholly owned by Aboriginal people.

Native Title

The Native Title Act 1993 governs what can and can not be claimed. Have a look at the National Native Title Tribunal website for additional information.

Employment

In 2006, about 59% of Indigenous people were in the labour force (i.e. either employed or unemployed) and of those 14% were unemployed. This compares with 65% of non-Indigenous people in the labour force, and of those 4.5% were unemployed.

Even though Indigenous people have less access to jobs and education, their labour force participation is comparable to non-Indigenous Australians.

The more remote an Indigenous community is, the higher its unemployment rate is likely to be. Reasons for this high unemployment rate include limited labour market opportunities, limited educational opportunities (and ongoing educational inequality) and lingering prejudice among non-Indigenous employers.

Levels of educational attainment are directly linked with employment pportunities. Despite considerable work over the last decade, progress in achieving educational equality has been slower than anticipated. A number of issues hinder the achievement of educational equality including:

• the belief that Indigenous Australians don't perform as well at school as non-Indigenous Australians
• inadequate communication between various government departments on important issues that affect education (e.g. poverty, health, housing and access to government services)
• the belief that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students won't be as successful at school/university as non-Indigenous Australians
• Indigenous programs are often not connected with mainstream programs
• more effective models often fail to be implemented

If you'd like further information, Education Economics has a report available that examines the worth of investing in Indigenous education - Estimating the Social Rate of Return to Education for Indigenous Australians. In addition, the University of New South Wales, as part of a research consortium with Monash University and James Cook University, have published a report - Barawul Yana: Better strategies for the recruitment, retention and support of Indigenous medical students.

Alcohol

Anybody who drinks excessive amounts of alcohol will suffer from poor health, regardless of whether they are Indigenous or non-Indigenous. A smaller proportion of Indigenous Australians drink alcohol than non-Indigenous Australians, however research indicates that of those Aboriginal people who drink, a higher proportion drink at harmful levels. This is why many Aboriginal people have elected to ban alcohol or reduce its consumption in their communities.

Substance misuse is both the cause and result of much pain and suffering in Aboriginal communities and is linked to other issues such as dispossession, physical and mental ill-health, poverty, unemployment, loss of cultural identity, family violence and imprisonment. However, research published in 1991 by Assoc Prof Wayne Hall and Dr Randolph Spargo found NO evidence of truth in the theory that Aboriginal people are biologically less able to handle alcohol than non-Indigenous Australians.

If you'd like further information about this complex issue we encourage you to read:

• 2004-05 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics
• National Health Survey published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics
• Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage published by the Australian Government Productivity Commission
• What works: The Grog Book - Strengthening Indigenous Community Action on Alcohol published by the Department of Health and Ageing, Canberra 2005.

Indigenous Affairs – funding not commensurate with needs

Indigenous Affairs in Australia is chronically underfunded. Here's some examples:

• According to the Australian Medical Association, the funding shortfall for Indigenous health is $460 million per year.
• Estimates of national Indigenous housing shortfall are more than $2 billion.

If you'd like further information, please read the Australian Medical Association's annual report card on Indigenous Health and the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation's 2008 budget submission.

Indigenous Affairs – plenty of accountability

The Aboriginal Councils and Associations Act 1976 and its successor, the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act (or CATSI Act) 2006 govern the accountability requirements of Aboriginal Corporations. An Aboriginal Corporation is simply one of many different types of corporations that can be registered in Australia, and it has specific regulations under the Act. The CATSI Act incorporates many provisions from the Corporations Act 2001, and also provides for flexible constitutional design and administration. Directors' duties and the rights of members mirror those under the Corporations Act.

Specifically, small Aboriginal corporations must provide a general report that includes details of members, directors, employees, income and assets. Large corporations must prepare a more comprehensive report, similar to what is required under the Corporations Act, and submit audited financial statements consistent with requirements for other large corporations. In addition, Aboriginal Corporations that hold native title have responsibilities under the Native Title Act.

If you'd like further information, please take a look at the Office of the Registrar of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporations website, Reconciliation Australia's Governance Awards, and the Agreements, Treaties and Negotiated Settlements Project. There' also a great resource on Indigenous entrepreneurial success on the Australian National University's website (PDF).

The Stolen Generations

Between 1910 and 1970, Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families and communities and placed in institutions and with non-Indigenous families. The aim was to assimilate them into non-Indigenous society, which means eliminate their unique cultural values and identities.

In Queensland, this often meant separating the children into dormitories on reserves. In New South Wales and Western Australia, many children were trained in Indigenous-only institutions to become domestic servants or farm labourers. Most of them were not paid their wages.

Other children were transferred to orphanages and children's homes where Indigenous and non-Indigenous children were brought up together. In other cases, and especially after the 1940s, Aboriginal children were fostered or adopted into non-Aboriginal families.

Many members of the Stolen Generations reported that they were forbidden to speak their Aboriginal language, they were told their parents did not want them, they experienced neglect as well as physical, emotional and sexual abuse, they received little or no education, and were refused contact with their families.

The effects of the separation from their parents and communities, being institutionalised and being abused, had an impact on their self-esteem, cultural identity, social skills and survival skills, developing relationships and parenting. Many members of the Stolen Generations have still not been reunited with their families. The legacy of forcible removal remains in the lives of Indigenous individuals and communities today.

On 13 February 2008, the Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd apologised to the Stolen Generations for this "blemished chapter in our nation's history".

If you would like to read some of the stories from the Stolen Generation survivors, take a look at HREOC's Us Taken-Away Kids magazine and the Bringing them home report.

You might also like to look at the National Sorry Day Committee website, and the National Stolen Generations Alliance website.

Indigenous healthcare funding is not adequate

The government spends 2.8% of the total national health expenditure on Indigenous health. For every $1 the government spends on health for a non-Indigenous person, $1.17 is spent on an Indigenous Australian (or 17% more). In contrast, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians are 300% sicker than non-Indigenous Australians.

Health expenditure on Indigenous Australians needs to be much higher to ensure equity in health status between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Unless efforts are made to address this funding shortfall, the gap in health standards will not be bridged and Australia will remain in violation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' right to health by a systematic failure to make health services accessible to them.

Nearly half of the government health expenditure for Indigenous Australians is financing the hospital services because Indigenous people utilise hospital care more than other Australians. This reflects Indigenous peoples' poor access to primary health care, and results in delays with treatment of medical conditions and subsequent increased rate of hospitalisation when these conditions become more severe.

If you'd like further information, take a look at the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's Australia's Health Reports; the Medical Journal of Australia's paper on the Importance of community control in health; and also an article by Ian Ring which shows the international experience in closing the life expectancy gap.

Most Indigenous Australians live in cities and inner regional areas, with the biggest population in NSW

Over half of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people live in New South Wales and Queensland. Only 12.9% of all Indigenous people live in the Northern Territory, although they make up almost one third of the Territory's total population.

State/Territory	Total Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Population	Proportion of total Indigenous Population	Proportion of State/Territory Population
New South Wales	148.200	28.7%	2.2%
Queensland	146.400	28.3%	3.6%
Western Australia	77.900	15.1%	3.8%
Northern Territory	66.600	12.9%	31.6%
Victoria	30.800	6.0%	0.6%
South Australia	26.000	5.0%	1.7%
Tasmania	16.900	3.3%	3.4%
Australian Capital Territory	4.000	0.8%	1.2%
Total	517.200	100%	2.5%
Source: Experimental Estimated Resident Australian Indigenous Population, 2006, Australian Bureau of Statistics

Traditional culture that cherishes children

In traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture 'children are seen as a gift, they are precious and everyone in the community is responsible for nurturing and protecting them, as they are the direct link with our ancestors and our future'. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture deeply cherishes their children. Violence against children is NOT, and never has been, a part of Indigenous culture.

In the Social Justice Report 2003, the chapter 'Addressing family violence in Indigenous communities', explores in more detail Indigenous perspectives on family violence.

Family violence

Family violence crosses boundaries of class, race and culture. However, many Indigenous leaders have spoken up about the fact that family violence and abuse is occurring at an unacceptable level in their communities. Indigenous people around the country are working to overcome these problems. Some examples of the success stories are available on the HREOC website.

The report Breaking the Silence, Creating the Future. Addressing child sexual assault in Aboriginal communities in NSW found that child abuse in Aboriginal communities had reached "epidemic proportions", with child sexual assault up to four times higher than in the general population. According to Ms Ella-Duncan, the report paints a "stark picture of intergenerational abuse and social disadvantage". Announced in January 2007, the NSW Government's response to Breaking the Silence was a five year plan containing 88 recommendations, but no additional funding to assist their implementation.

The report Little Children are Sacred found that the sexual abuse of Aboriginal children in the Northern Territory is serious, widespread and often unreported, Aboriginal people are not the only victims and not the only perpetrators of sexual abuse, and most Aboriginal people are willing and committed to solving problems and helping their children.

It is difficult to provide the definitive explanation of why family violence is such a significant problem in Indigenous communities, given the complexity and range of different circumstances. According to the Little Children are Sacred report, sexual abuse of Aboriginal children is happening largely because of the breakdown of Aboriginal culture and society and the combined effects of poor health, alcohol and drug abuse, unemployment, gambling, and pornography, as well as poor education and housing.

The HREOC Social Justice Report 2007 explores in detail the causes of family violence in Aboriginal communities, and the Social Justice Report 2003, 'Addressing family violence in Indigenous communities' explores in more detail the extent of family violence in Indigenous communities.

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