When people in Australia refer to ‘Stolen Wages’, it is usually referred to as a past issue. This refers to the slavery-like system that saw Aboriginal people denied any or equal pay for hard work over decades during the 19th and the 20th century. The tragic reality is that the Federal Government's remote ‘work for the dole’ program, known as the Community Development Program, is doing exactly the same. In an example of the effects of ongoing structural racism, the program undervalues work done by Aboriginal workers and keeps them and their communities in poverty. Aboriginal people have always fought back.
When people in Australia refer to ‘Stolen Wages’, it is usually referred to as a past issue. This refers to the slavery-like system that saw Aboriginal people denied any or equal pay for hard work over decades during the 19th and the 20th century. The tragic reality is that the Federal Government's remote ‘work for the dole’ program, known as the Community Development Program, is doing exactly the same. In an example of the effects of ongoing structural racism, the program undervalues work done by Aboriginal workers and keeps them and their communities in poverty. Aboriginal people have always fought back.
