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Quantification of γH2AX Foci in Response to Ionising Radiation
Published on: April 6, 2010
Summary
Australian parliamentarians refused to ratify the UN Genocide Convention in 1949, despite evidence of historical genocide against Aboriginal people. This included killings, forced child removals, and policies causing harm.
Area of Science:
- Social Sciences
- History
- Law
Background:
- In 1949, Australian federal parliamentarians debated ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
- Parliamentarians expressed moral indignation, claiming Australia had a 'clean record' and could not be associated with genocide.
Observation:
- Historical records reveal Australian parliamentarians' involvement in policies amounting to genocide against Aboriginal people.
- These policies included frontier killings justified as 'dispersing kangaroos' and forced child removals framed as being 'in their best interests'.
- Further actions involved a eugenicist agenda to eliminate Aboriginal populations through intermarriage or forced assimilation.
Findings:
- The essay examines the mindset of individuals who committed genocide, defined as killing, child removal, and causing serious bodily and mental harm.
- Genocidal acts against Aboriginal people were rationalized through dehumanizing language and claims of benevolent intent.
Implications:
- Subsequent government policies continued to infantilize Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations, denying them fundamental human rights.
- This historical analysis challenges the notion of Australia's 'clean record' and highlights the enduring impact of genocidal policies.
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