HSIE ASSIGNMENT

HSIE ASSIGNMENT By Rory Layden Mr Jobson

Indigenous Land Rights

On August 16, 1975, Gough Whitlam returned traditional lands in the Northern Territory to the Gurindji people. This brought an end to their long struggle to reclaim their traditional country. Since 1966, the Gurindji people had been on strike against Vestey’s –the agricultural business occupying the land. Their protest was against the poor working conditions they suffered andthe alienation of their land rights. After Whitlam had done his job here the Gurindji people gained nation-wide attention and support for their campaign, thanks to Whitlam.

Once it came to power, the Whitlam Government purchased lands on behalf of the Gurindji people. The ceremony to officially hand back the land to the Gurindji people tookplace on August 16th, 1975 at Daguragu. Whitlam made a short speech before taking some sand and pouring it into the hands of Vincent Lingiari, the leader of the protest movement against this cause.

The Whitlam Government sought to improve dialogue betweenindigenous communities and the government, and seek theirinput into the formation of policies that affected them. To that end, it created the National Aboriginal Consultative Council, an elected body of 40 members who were to advise the Aboriginal Affairs Minister.

Medibank

Definition: With 3.8 million members and about 30 per cent market share, Medibank is Australia's largest private health fund.

The primary achievement of the Whitlam Government in thisarea was the creation of Medibank, Australia’s national insurance system. The system would provide free access to hospitals and a range of other medical services.

From its first budget, the Whitlam Government raised social security payments across the board. Aged and invalid pensions, widow’s pensions, unemployment benefitsand sickness benefits were all raised significantly, and the means test was abolished for those aged over 70 on the age pension. These changes led to a substantial improvement of the financial position of welfare beneficiaries.

The Whitlam Government also enacted reforms to create four new social security benefits. These included the Supporting Mother’s Benefit for single mothers, the benefit payable to ‘lone fathers’, the Double Orphans’ Pension payable to the guardian of a child who had lost both parents and the Handicapped Children’s Allowance to guardians of severely disabled children.

The Whitlam Government also passed the Handicapped Persons’ Assistance Act which provided increased funding for volunteer organisations providing support services and employment to people with developmental disabilities, and increased subsidies for some of their staff. 

Education

For Whitlam, the differences in opportunity afforded to private and government school students were ‘morally unjust and socially wasteful’, and he argued that ‘no democratic government can accept this disparity’. One of his government’s earliest acts was to create an interim committee for the Australian Schools Commission, which delivered a report prescribing a framework for equitable education in May 1973.

Significant increases in funding were made available for the construction of new school buildings under the Whitlam Government and for other purposes.  Under the Whitlam Government, spending on state government schools

increased by 677%, and spending on non-government schoolsin the states increased by 117%

In 1974, the Whitlam Government established the Commonwealth’s full responsibility for university funding throughout Australia. Previously, state governments had distributed funding, although the Commonwealth had made increased contributions – providinga quarter of university funding by the early 1950s.

The Whitlam Government significantly expanded Commonwealth funding of universities and provided additional infrastructure funding.  For instance, a seeding grant was offered for the construction of Deakin University.

Souce Book

Source A

It’s TimeIt’s time for freedom,

It’s time for moving, It’s time to begin,Yes It’s time

It’s time Australia,It’s time for moving, It’s time for proving,

Yes It’s timeIt’s time for all folk,

It’s time for moving, It’s time to give,Yes It’s time

It’s time for children,It’s time to show them, Time to look ahead,

Yes It’s timeTime for freedom,

Time for moving, Time to be clear,Yes It’s timeTime Australia,

Time for moving, It’s time for proving,Yes It’s time

Time for better,Come together, It’s time to move,

Yes It’s timeTime to stand up,

Time to shout it, Time, Time, Time,Yes It’s time

Time to move on,Time to stand up, time to say ‘yes’,

Yes It’s time

It's Time was a successful political campaign run by the Australian Labor Party (ALP) under Gough Whitlam at the 1972 election in Australia. Campaigning on the perceived need for change after 23 years of conservative (Liberal-Country Party coalition) government, Labor put forward a raft of major policy proposals, accompanied by

a television advertising campaign of prominent celebrities singing a little song named "It's Time".

Source B

On 26th August 1975 Prime Minister Gough Whitlam handed a leasehold title to land Daguragu. Gough Whitlam and Vincent Lingiari. This was a long struggle for the Aboriginies. The Aboriginal struggle to regain lands taken from them has a long history. Since 1846 when Aboriginal Tasmanians petitioned Queen Victoria, Indigenous people have been using the laws and the parliamentary system of government brought by the Britishin their attempts to regain land. We know they are the traditional owners but they had no evidence or paperwork to prove it.

Source C

This black-and-white cartoon shows prime minister Gough Whitlam immediately after his election, seated at a desk and rolling up his sleeves with a blank sheet of paper infront of him. He looks up at an in-tray piled high with policies, reforms and challenges for the new government. His out-tray holds William 'Billy' McMahon, whose government he had just defeated. Outside the cartoon box is written 'With the compliments of Michael Atchison'. Itwas drawn in December 1972 by cartoonist Michael Atchison.

Source D

Whitlam’s government was crushed at the subsequent election. It’s easy to forget he was still leader when the party lost again in 1977 as well. His two electoral victories where squashed by three defeats. History has tojudge the Whitlam government as inept and politically naive, as well as being hindered by international circumstances beyond their control.