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Deficit Discourses and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Disadvantage

Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islander people have experienced significant marginalization as a result of the British invasion of Australia and the manner of continued colonization. Despite numerous government programs and policies designed to remediate what is referred to as Indigenous disadvantage, Australia’s First peoples continue to experience disproportionately negative life outcomes relative to non-Indigenous Australians in areas such as education, health, justice and employment. Following an historical overview of Indigenous social outcomes post colonization, this chapter examines the deficit discourse constituting ‘Indigenous disadvantage’ and informing Australian Indigenous Affairs policy development and implementation. It does so by examining key policy initiatives and reports between the 1890s and 2017.