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Question: Upon British settlement, what impact did imposing British law over Aborigines have on their lives/rights etc!?
From what i know, Aborigines had a very ambiguous status!. They had to obey the law but didn't have the same rights!.

What rights did they have!?
What laws did they have to follow!?
What was their status of law then and how has that changed now!?Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
Aborigines had few, if any rights!. They were listed on Australia's official list of flora and fauna (ie along with kangaroos and koalas), and it was legal to hunt them for sport in some places up to the 1920's!. Tasmanian Aborigines were wiped out in what is probably the most effective act of genocide ever committed - none survived!.

As for following laws, they pretty much had to do what they were told!. Nominally they were under British law, but received scant protection from the law themselves!.

Naturally, things have changed a little bit now!. Not only are aborigines allowed to be citizens, they can vote and have been removed from the list of fauna!.!.!. these tends they tend to be regarded as "people"! Like many indigenous peoples around the world in post-colonial countries, they struggle with poor health, education and social problems such as endemic domestic violence, high levels of incarceration and extensive discrimination (unofficial these days)!. Www@QuestionHome@Com