• The impact of policy and legislation
• The Stolen Generation
• Health and mental health morbidity
• Social determinants
• Substance use
• The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health workforce

Policy and Legislation

With colonisation came race-based legislation that governed all aspects of life for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Although the legislation was originally intended to be 'protective' it essentially allowed for a system of apartheid to be introduced with segregation of Indigenous peoples away from the rest of the population, often forced from homelands onto missions, reserves or the outskirts of towns. Although the legislation varied across states and territories, the impact was similar. Laws governed where Indigenous people could live, work and who they could associate with as well as restrictions on movements in towns with curfews in place, separate seating on trains and in cinemas for example. Other restrictions also included limiting cultural practices, access to hospitals, schools and other services. There are still many older people today who remember having to carry passes to enter towns, had to apply for citizenship papers or exemption certificates to access services and avoid the full impact of the legislation.

In the 1930s legislation shifted from "protection" to "assimilation". In 1937 the initial Commonwealth and State Aboriginal Authorities Conference was held in Canberra were it was decided that assimilation was the solution to the "Aboriginal problem". This decision was to have devastating and long lasting consequences for the culture and identity of Aboriginal people.

In the 1950s and 1960s new policy was drafted and agreed upon that was based more on integration. Under the new legislation all peoples of Aboriginal decent will choose to maintain a similar standard and manner of living as other Australian people - living in a single Australian community and experiencing the same rights and privileges, accepting the same responsibilities and loyalties as other Australians.

In more recent decades there has been a shift towards self-determination, building community capacity and community control in decision-making. One of the issues in policy development is the separation of policy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples running in parallel with mainstream. This does not always occur synchronously however and implementation can vary. Changes in legislation and policy continue to have significant impact on the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia today. There are still many controls and restrictions in place and ongoing disputes over Indigenous rights and representation in government.

There remains much 'unfinished business' including Native Title, sovereignty, reconciliation, an apology and reparations. It is important for practitioners to understand the nature of the legislation and policy environment and how it has impacted on the communities you are working with. In some cases it may have affected where people and children were moved to such as missions and reserves, how they were able to access services, resources and funding or whether the expected outcomes are being achieved. Although many of the ongoing issues lie outside of the mental health sector, any legislative changes that contribute to the lessening of control Indigenous people can exert over their own lives and cultural heritage will ultimately impact on health and wellbeing.