Which policy aimed to assimilate Indigenous Australians by eradicating their cultural identity and traditions?

• A. Land Rights
• B. Self-Determination
• C. Assimilation Policies
• D. Protection

Answer: (C)

The idea behind this policy is to absorb Indigenous Australians into the broader society by erasing their cultural identity and traditions. It aimed to replace Indigenous ways of life with European norms—language, religion, dress, family structures, and everyday practices—so Indigenous people would become indistinguishable from non-Indigenous Australians over time. This often included suppressing Indigenous languages and ceremonies and, in the most harmful cases, removing children from their communities to be raised in European households, which severed generations from their culture. The goal was not just integration but cultural erasure to fit a dominant white Australian identity.

Other policies focused on different aims. Land rights centered on recognising Indigenous connection to country and ownership of traditional lands. Protection policies were about guardianship and control, restricting freedoms under paternalistic rules. Self-determination emphasized Indigenous communities having the power to govern themselves and make decisions about their own affairs.