Who are Indigenous Australians?

Just 30% of the general Australian community socialise with Indigenous people.^[1] So where do the majority of Australians get their ideas about Indigenous Australians? The media? The government? Maybe the history books? We believe it's important for Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians to understand each other better, beyond myths and stereotypes. So first things first, who are Indigenous Australians?

First things first, who are Indigenous Australians?

Indigenous Australians are descended from the people who lived in Australia and the surrounding islands prior to European colonisation. Generally speaking, there are two distinct groups of Indigenous people in Australia - Torres Strait Islanders, who come from the Torres Strait Islands north of Cape York in Queensland, and Aboriginal people, who come from all other parts of Australia.

Amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, there are many different languages, cultures and beliefs. So when we refer to “Indigenous Australians”, we’re actually using a collective name to refer to hundreds of diverse groups.