Table Of ContentThe Dehumanising Violence of
Racism – The Role of Law
Brooke Shelley Bielefeld
BLJS (SCU) LLB(Hons) (SCU)
Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for a
Doctorate of Law award within the
School of Law and Justice,
Southern Cross University
December 2009 © Shelley Bielefeld
D
ECLARATION
I, Shelley Bielefeld, certify that the work presented in this thesis is, to the best of my
knowledge and belief, original, except as acknowledged in the text, and that the material has
not been submitted, either in whole or in part, for a degree at this or at any other university.
I acknowledge that I have read and understood the University’s rules, requirements,
procedures and policy relating to my higher degree research award and to my thesis. I certify
that I have complied with the rules, requirements, procedures and policy of the University.
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A
BSTRACT
My thesis explores numerous issues ranging from justice, ethics, law, truth telling and
responsibility. These issues are significant in light of the illegitimate foundations of the
Australian nation and the subsequent genocide perpetrated against Indigenous peoples. The
colonial quest for white supremacy, racial purity and accumulation of property has been
facilitated by oppressive exercises of parliamentary power. This thesis analyses several
legislative examples of this type, highlighting the trauma that has arisen from past oppressive
exercises of parliamentary power and continues due to contemporary legislation. I also
critique a selection of cases which have challenged this contemporary legislation, examining
the manner in which legal positivism and formalist methodology ensure that white privilege
continues to be maintained at the expense of Indigenous Australians. These cases demonstrate
the inherent racism of law and the lack of effective checks on oppressive exercises of
parliamentary power. Where governments engage in abuses of power the courts are often
looked to in the hope that justice will flow from on high. Yet courts are also part of the
structure of government and consequently have been instrumental in upholding and justifying
the colonial status quo. Along with the parliament and the executive the courts have been
instrumental in carrying on the tradition of Australia’s racist colonial legacy. This has resulted
in ongoing injustice and trauma for Indigenous Australians. The legacy of white sovereignty
in Australia has brought colonialism, parliamentary sovereignty, Social Darwinism, white
supremacy, capitalism, legal positivism and the propaganda needed to reinforce this dominant
discourse. The consequences of this legacy disadvantage Indigenous Australians to this day,
and maintain the status quo of oppressive colonial power relations that first began with the
planting of the British flag, and the myth of terra nullius, the fiction that the land belonged to
no-one. My thesis explores the racist laws and policies detrimentally affecting Jews under
Nazi Germany and Aborigines in Queensland, highlighting parallels between them and the
way they reveal an intersection between law and trauma. I investigate the role that law plays
in facilitating violence to groups who are targeted as undesirable by government on the basis
of race, and the manner in which the past continues to permeate the present. The racist
foundations of the Australian nation remain in place, ensuring that Aboriginality sovereignty
is ignored by colonial governments and that self-determination for Aboriginal peoples
remains elusive. Indigenous perspectives require the development of a different legacy, one
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that acknowledges Indigenous sovereignty, their right to self-determination and their right to
freedom from oppressive exercises of parliamentary power.
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A
CKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I wish to acknowledge the mentoring of Associate Professor Greta Bird, Professor Jim
Jackson and my Head of School Jennifer Nielsen. Their encouragement and guidance has
benefited me enormously and I feel extremely fortunate to have received their input about my
thesis on numerous occasions. I am deeply appreciative of the support offered by my Head of
School Jennifer Nielsen which enabled me to have the additional time I needed to complete
the thesis during my final year. I am grateful to my supervisor Greta Bird for her constructive
feedback and her kindness in calling me on a daily basis while I was crippled and awaiting
spinal surgery. I am especially grateful to Greta Bird, Jim Jackson, Sue Higginson and
Stefanie Petrik for their comments on my final draft. Their comments have been much
appreciated. I am very touched that Jim Jackson made time to read and comment on my thesis
in such a timely manner given his very busy schedule.
I wish to acknowledge the love and support of my special friends who encouraged me to keep
going on the darkest of days. These people have often provided a soft place to land with their
gentle loving presence. I would not have made it this far without their support and my life is
infinitely enriched by their generous spirits. I especially want to thank Jan Parlett, Sue
Higginson, Kate Jessup, and Steve Fitzgerald for their untiring love and patience as I spoke
about these grave matters repeatedly over many years. I know it was not the cheeriest of
conversational topics. They have regularly been a lifeline of loving kindness during times of
stress. A special thankyou goes to Jan for tending to me so lovingly after my last cancer
surgery. Her healing presence, love, and words of wisdom have improved the quality of my
life immeasurably. Another special thankyou goes to Sue and Steve for caring for me so
tenderly when I needed further surgery in 2009. I am grateful to Keda Ley and Paul Gallagher
for providing a warm hearted place of refuge during challenging times. I gratefully
acknowledge Nicholas Simpson for his encouragement, support, and humour, which was
always very timely. I thank Karen Henry for creating a place of beauty and for her soulful
connection. I also wish to thank the performance poets of the Northern Rivers for adding
some much needed laughter and lightness during this challenging period of my life. In
particular I offer thanks to David Hallett, Lynda Bell, Len and Kaye Martin, Lyn Lockrey,
Fiona Strelan, Janine Anderton, Kavi Sammut, Daevid Allen, and Stephanie Petrik for their
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consistent encouragement regarding my poetic endeavours and for welcoming me into the
fold of their creative oasis.
I want to acknowledge the support of my wonderful Counsellor, Christina Henry, who helped
me greatly throughout the period of my PhD enrolment. I acknowledge my cancer surgeon,
Dr Robert Simon, whose excellent medical care ensured that I was able to live on to complete
this research. I also acknowledge the proficient and timely medical care of Dr Adrian
Nowitzke, whose surgical skill helped me walk again.
Lastly, but not least, I wish to acknowledge the Indigenous peoples of Australia who have
miraculously survived the onslaught of colonial oppression since 1788. Their persistence and
endurance through the very worst of life experiences is an inspiration and a testament to their
strength of spirit.
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Remnants of the past …
Remnants of the past linger here
But the worst of Australian racism isn’t over yet I fear
I read recently of an Aboriginal boy
Who’d had a noose tied around his neck
And was dragged along a riverbank
Certainly not an account of racist violence held in check
His friend was tied to a tree
And forced to watch the awful brutality
So horribly telling of our colonial legacy
The echoes of a not so distant past
I wonder how long this racial hatred will last
I wonder about how far we’ve come
And what we can do about the serious trauma
All the damage done
I also wonder about complicity
In an ongoing colonial mentality
When our neighbour or friend tells us a racist joke
Do we laugh and smile
Or do we challenge the so-called ‘humour’
Of the typical Aussie bloke
I wonder about the connection
Between racist words and racist violence
There seems to be a link, I think
Yes I wonder about how far we’ve come
And I feel deep concern over the damage done
How can we overcome our colonial legacy?
And interrupt the ongoing colonial mentality
And learn to treat all humans respectfully
Acknowledging the precious essence of human dignity
That resides in every one of us.
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The Perils of Doing a PhD
It’s hard to be doing a Phd
Looking at so much evil in the past century
My research concerns the horrors of humanity
Of murderous insanity
Where extermination by the State
Was described as some natural inevitable fate
The oppressors conveniently forgetting
That they were the ones who had the guns
And there was nothing ‘natural’ about that
Images of Holocaust victims float unbidden to my mind
Images of persecuted Aborigines are not far behind
I consider how Aborigines suffered in Australia
I study what happened in Nazi Germany
And I see much striking similarity
In the way each regime targeted a group
They considered ‘undesirable’ on
The basis of the bogus construct of race
And then sought to remove these people
From every possible public space
I study the law used for persecution
And I wonder at the law’s ability
To attempt to legitimate such oppression
I am struck deeply
By the awfulness of lawfulness
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C
ONTENTS
Declaration............................................................................................................................................ii
Abstract ...........................................................................................................................................iii
Acknowledgements..............................................................................................................................v
Contents ...........................................................................................................................................ix
Chapter 1 Introduction.......................................................................................................................1
A. The Nature of Racism and the Role of Law in its Construction..................................7
B. The Role of Law in Legitimising Oppression.............................................................19
C. Change of Political Climate.......................................................................................21
D. History Wars.............................................................................................................26
E. Genocide – A National Legacy.................................................................................40
F. Methodology.............................................................................................................43
Chapter 2 The Horrors of the Holocaust – Nazi Persecution and Dehumanisation of Jews...51
A. Introduction...............................................................................................................51
B. The Foundations of Fascist Germany.......................................................................55
C. The Use of Law to Legitimise Oppression................................................................64
1. Hitler’s Use of Law in the Grab for Power............................................................64
2. The Function of Law under Nazi Germany..........................................................68
3. The Role of the Legal Profession under Nazi Germany......................................71
4. The Role of Legal Positivism in Justifying Nazi Laws..........................................73
5. Beyond Legal Positivism – The Slippery Slide into Fascism...............................78
6. Defined by Law....................................................................................................83
D. Racial Purity and the Concept of ‘Blood’...................................................................90
E. Ostracised from Society............................................................................................92
1. Destruction of Jewish livelihood...........................................................................98
F. The Economic Rationale for the Holocaust.............................................................100
1. Crystal Night......................................................................................................105
G. Impact on Family Life and Relationships................................................................108
H. Genocide.................................................................................................................118
I. Dehumanising propaganda.....................................................................................124
J. Public attitudes under Nazi Germany.....................................................................133
1. Obedience to Authority......................................................................................137
K. Conclusion..............................................................................................................140
Chapter 3 A Haunting History – Persecution and Dehumanisation of Aboriginal Peoples
in Queensland...............................................................................................................143
A. Introduction.............................................................................................................143
B. Frontier Violence – Massacres as Land Clearing...................................................146
1. Native Police......................................................................................................150
C. Philosophical Foundations – Social Darwinism......................................................153
D. The Use of Law to Legitimise Oppression..............................................................158
1. Defined by Law..................................................................................................158
2. The ‘Protection’ Legislation................................................................................159
3. Freedom of Movement.......................................................................................164
4. Inter-racial sexual relationships.........................................................................166
5. Exploitation in Employment...............................................................................170
6. Access to money...............................................................................................175
7. Oppressive ‘Disciplinary’ Regimes....................................................................180
8. Law – an elaborate system facilitating denigrating control of
Indigenous peoples............................................................................................186
E. An Australian Genocide..........................................................................................188
F. Economic Reasons for Racism...............................................................................194
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G. Stolen Generations of Indigenous Children............................................................195
1. The white saviour complex................................................................................201
H. Life on the Reserves...............................................................................................204
1. Education...........................................................................................................213
I. Assimilation – policies to ‘absorb’ Indigenous Australians into the non-Indigenous
population...............................................................................................................214
J. Exemption from Aboriginality and ‘Passing’ for White............................................218
K. The Propaganda of Colonial Discourse..................................................................220
L. Public attitudes in Colonial Queensland.................................................................224
M. Conclusion..............................................................................................................226
Chapter 4 Nazi Germany and Queensland – Exploring the Parallels........................................230
A. Introduction.............................................................................................................230
B. Philosophical Foundations......................................................................................233
1. Social Darwinism...............................................................................................234
2. Religious Rationale............................................................................................236
C. Defined by Law.......................................................................................................237
D. Use of Law to Legitimise Oppression.....................................................................238
E. Economic Rationale................................................................................................239
F. Access to Money.....................................................................................................242
G. Ostracised for ‘Protection’.......................................................................................243
1. Restriction on Freedom of Movement................................................................245
H. Creating Conflicting Loyalties within the Target Groups.........................................246
I. Restricting Access to Education.............................................................................247
J. Impact on Family Life and Relationships................................................................248
K. Traumatised Victims of State Sanctioned Oppression............................................251
L. Genocide.................................................................................................................254
M. Dehumanising Propaganda....................................................................................258
N. Projection................................................................................................................263
O. Public Attitudes.......................................................................................................265
P. Denialism................................................................................................................266
Q. Conclusion..............................................................................................................269
Chapter 5 Recent Australian Racially Discriminatory Laws......................................................274
A. Introduction.............................................................................................................274
B. The Elusive Search for Land Justice......................................................................282
C. The Native Title Amendment Act 1998 (Cth) as an Oppressive Exercise of
Parliamentary Power – Nulyarimma v Thompson...................................................299
1. The background to Nulyarimma.........................................................................299
2. The Judicial Decision in Nulyarimma.................................................................301
3. Critique of Nulyarimma......................................................................................307
D. Decimation of Aboriginal Sacred Sites – The Hindmarsh Island Bridge Act 1997
and Kartinyeri v Commonwealth.............................................................................318
1. The background to Kartinyeri.............................................................................318
2. Critique of Kartinyeri..........................................................................................320
3. Ngarrindjeri Dominion and Law’s ‘Truth’............................................................333
E. ‘Protecting’ Children or Enforcing Assimilation? The 2007 Intervention/Invasion
of Aboriginal Lands.................................................................................................335
F. The ‘Intervention’ Legislation – ‘Just’ Terms or ‘Reasonable’ Injustice? –
Wurridjal v The Commonwealth of Australia...........................................................344
1. The Judicial Decision in Wurridjal......................................................................344
2. Critique of Wurridjal...........................................................................................355
G. Conclusion..............................................................................................................357
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