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Thanks for that comment Rob. It reminds me of an interesting encounter I had while Minister of Social Security in the mid ‘90s.

I was approached by an aboriginal group that were outraged by evidence that some South Sea Islanders (Kanakas), descendants of people brought to Australia to work in sugar cane plantations, were accessing the Abstudy student assistance program (Abstudy was similar to the general student assistance program Austudy, but with a more generous means test and some added benefits).

Like the aborigines, the Kanakas were a dark-skinned people in generally fairly deprived circumstances, probably equally as likely to suffer discrimination as aboriginal people. By accessing the program, they were not depriving any aboriginal people – it was a demand-driven entitlement program. I don’t recall how this issue was resolved, but I found the aggressively proprietorial attitude a bit strange.

I am interested in the studies you mention about how they came to Australia – you might post some links, if you have them to hand.