There’s another epidemic in Australia.
Claiming to be of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander heritage when they are not is a form of identity fraud. This type of misrepresentation is harmful to all involved and these fraudsters are taking up spots at universities, jobs and bank loans that should go to those who need them.
This is a big deal because we know how hard it is for Indigenous Australians to find employment and get into universities.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet, your opportunity to take this problem head-on starts with harsher penalties against people who commit identity fraud. And more importantly, NSW needs a culturally appropriate process to identify Aboriginality fraud.
Barayamal recently conducted a petition that has earned the support of 64 community members, who wrote to Premier Perrottet asking for him to take immediate action.
Journalist Stephen Gibbs recently wrote about how many people are identifying themselves as Aboriginal when they’re not. Gibbs says the number of responses was “overwhelming.”
Despite making up only three per cent of Australia’s population, Indigenous Australians are susceptible to being taken advantage of and losing money to scams. Last year, the Scamwatch watchdog received 3,455 reports from Indigenous Australians. This accounted for nine per cent of the total $22 million dollars reported as lost to scams that year.
This month, more than 100 people gathered outside of the University of Saskatchewan to protest against Indigenous identity fraud in Canada.
Will Premier Perrottet wait until there is a protest at Australian universities before taking action?
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