The Indigenous people were intentionally exposed to the blasts to understand the effect of
radiation on humans. The British had deliberately erected all warning signs in English,
knowing the lack of English spoken by Aboriginals, so they would not be capable of
identifying the boundaries of the nuclear testing sites.
During the years of ongoing testing, the Indigenous land had severely been contaminated by
radiation. Still to this day, the Indigenous people exposed to the radiation suffer from the
side effects of the testing. The result of this has created ongoing health issues, like health
issues such as lower immune system, increased chances of cancer, and people who were
exposed could experience birth defects in their children or even the inability to conceive
successfully.
Due to the discrimination of Indigenous people throughout history, they were failed to learn
how to be equipped to socialising, attend health services or schools. This discrimination has
led to significant risks of becoming un-educated, which continues into high chances of
unemployment, health issues, the lost their holy land and cultural traditions.
If the discrimination was not enough to suffer from, Indigenous people suffered absolute
horror during the years the effects of "the stolen generation" taking place and would
continue to feel the substantial aftereffects to this day.
During the Stolen Generation, children were forcibly taken from their families, homes and
communities by police and welfare officers and placed into the homes of westerners and
were never to see or have contact with their families again. They suddenly were no longer
allowed to speak their native language, and their culture and rituals were prohibited,
forcibly stripping them from everything they were and knew. Most of the children were
under five years of age and unable to process the emotional impact of these horrific events.
These psychological impacts formed in the feeling of worthlessness, insecurity, lack of self-
esteem, depression, delinquency, violence, suicide, abuse of alcohol and drugs and the
incapacity to trust others. Many of the Indigenous children never had a maternal
representation once they became adults which led to the impact of their struggles when
raising their children.
The people of Aboriginal descent still experience hardships stemming from the effect’s
history events have had on their culture. Except for children, Indigenous people experience
the highest arrest rates and death in custody in comparison to any other culture in Australia.
The Australian prison system fails to support the Indigenous culture appropriately, leaving
large numbers to feel desperation and loneliness inside prisons. These emotions lead to
problems with self-harm, illness and violent in apprehension and control. If the prison
system fails to identify and try to resolve these issues, they will continue to let down the
Australian Indigenous people.
