De-colonisation or re-colonisation? : contemporary social work and Indigenous Australians

Laws have a cumulative and pervasive impact on the lives of individuals and communities. Drawing on the examples of 'the stolen generations', the child protection system and the criminal justice system, this chapter explains how legal and policy provisions have failed to provide effective solutions to the problems faced by Indigenous peoples and have contributed to cumulative disadvantage. It is suggested that it is important to re-frame social work as a rights-based profession and to identify ways in which social workers can engage in practice that enables Indigenous Australians to participate fully in society while recognising their cultures, aspirations and the impact that history has had.