When analysing an issue related to changing awareness of Australian Indigenous cultures, the VCAA requires you to first explain the nature of the issue — that is, what the issue actually is, who it affects, and what the key dimensions and competing perspectives are.
This note uses the Stolen Generations as the primary example, but the analytical framework applies to any chosen issue.
KEY TAKEAWAY: Describing the nature of an issue means going beyond a simple definition. You need to identify its scope, the parties involved, the key tensions, and the sociological concepts that help explain it.
The Stolen Generations refers to the forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families by government and church authorities, primarily between approximately 1910 and 1970, though removals occurred both before and after this period.
The issue has multiple dimensions:
- Humanitarian: the profound trauma experienced by those removed, their families, and their communities
- Cultural: the deliberate destruction of language, kinship, ceremony, and identity through removal
- Legal: whether the policies constituted genocide under international law (as argued in the Bringing Them Home report, 1997)
- Political: debates about apology, compensation, and ongoing child removal rates
- Social: the intergenerational trauma that links historical removal to contemporary disadvantage
| Perspective | Position |
|---|---|
| Many Indigenous Australians and advocates | The removals were genocidal; there must be formal apology, truth-telling, and reparations |
| Some conservative politicians (e.g. John Howard pre-2008) | Policies were well-intentioned; collective apology not appropriate; focus on practical outcomes |
| Bringing Them Home authors | Government bears responsibility; apology and compensation are necessary |
| Healing Foundation | Intergenerational trauma requires culturally specific healing programmes, not just political apology |
EXAM TIP: Always present the issue from multiple perspectives. VCAA assessors reward balanced, nuanced responses. Do not present only one side.
APPLICATION: When writing about the nature of any issue, open by defining what the issue is (factually), then identify who it affects (scope), then note the competing perspectives (sociological depth). This three-part structure will earn strong marks in extended response questions.
