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11.31 (і) Commonwealth Education Portfolio discussion paper
The Commonwealth Education Portfolio discussion paper of
1978 set out to adumbrate the means of establishing formal machinery
to implement the recommendations of the report on post-arrival
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services for migrants (the Galbally Report), particularly with
regard to its recommendations for education.
The discussion paper devotes one page (p, 4) to a description
of the Aboriginal sitation, but then is able to ignore Aborigines
since ,'the Government has acknowledged the unique position of
the Aboriginals by the establishment of the Department of Aboriginal
Affairs”.
On page 8t the statement is made:
The conceptual framework for education for a multicultural
society must include all groups in Australian society.
There is a popular tendency to think of multicultural
education as relating only to immigrants.
This is qualified by a footnote:
The. Government has accepted that special educational
provisions are necessary for the Aboriginal group.
The mention of "all groups" in society does not refer to Aborigines
but to established Anglo-Saxon groups who are to be encouraged
to appreciate the culture and customs of the migrants.
Aborigines are given special help, placed in a unique position;
at the same time they are placed outside the conceptual frameworks
for a multicultural society in a footnote.
In sum, the policy of integration for Aborigines cannot
be seen as itself integrated into overall policy aimed at promoting
Australia as a multi-cultural society. On the contrary, Aborigines
are excluded. Furthermore, they are excluded as a single, monolithic
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group in contra-distinction to the official government policy,
which offered various possibilities for the location of Aboriginal
identity.