← Aboriginal Studies syllabus

NSWAboriginal Studies

Part 1: Social Justice and Human Rights Issues

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How have Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples pursued land rights and native title, and how far have these struggles delivered social justice?

Analyse the struggle for land rights and native title as a social justice and human rights issue, using key legal and political developments
A clear answer on land rights and native title as a social justice issue in HSC Aboriginal Studies. Covers terra nullius, the 1963 Yirrkala bark petitions, the Mabo decision, the Native Title Act 1993, Wik, and the limits of native title, centring Aboriginal connection to Country and self-determination.
6 min answer →

What do self-determination and autonomy mean for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and why are they the organising idea of the whole course?

Define self-determination and autonomy and explain their place within social justice and human rights for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
A clear answer on self-determination and autonomy as the organising idea of HSC Aboriginal Studies. Defines the concepts, links them to UNDRIP, distinguishes them from assimilation and integration, and shows how community control expresses self-determination in health, justice and education.
6 min answer →

How did the forced removal of Aboriginal children breach human rights, and how have truth-telling and redress responded to the Stolen Generations?

Evaluate the removal policies that created the Stolen Generations and the response of the Bringing Them Home report as a human rights issue
A respectful, accurate answer on the Stolen Generations for HSC Aboriginal Studies. Covers the removal policies, the Bringing Them Home report and its findings of genocide, the 2008 National Apology, redress schemes, and intergenerational trauma, centring survivor voices and self-determination.
6 min answer →

How have campaigns for constitutional recognition, from the 1967 referendum to the Uluru Statement from the Heart, advanced self-determination?

Assess campaigns for constitutional recognition and political reform, from the 1967 referendum to the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the 2023 Voice referendum
A focused answer on constitutional recognition for HSC Aboriginal Studies. Covers the 1967 referendum, the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation, the Uluru Statement from the Heart, Voice, Treaty and Truth, and the 2023 referendum result, centring self-determination and Aboriginal-led reform.
6 min answer →

What do social justice and human rights mean for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and how are these concepts applied to lived experience?

Define and apply the concepts of social justice and human rights to the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia and internationally
A foundational answer to what social justice and human rights mean in HSC Aboriginal Studies, centring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander self-determination. Covers the four principles of social justice, key human rights instruments including UNDRIP, and how these frame the rest of the course.
6 min answer →