Race-based society, Australia

Australia once again has a legal system which makes distinctions between people based on race. Ironically, those of indigenous descent are first-class Australians this time, and the descendants of immigrants from the past 250 years are the second-class Australians.

Australia, and the people who defend this policy, do not use those terms, of course. But that shoe fits the policy. The practice of capitalizing the words "indigenous" and "aboriginal" underlines the kind of distinction between these classes.

The British colonists (mainly convicts who were sent there as punishment) took the land by force, and killed many aboriginals in the process. Then they set up a society in which indigenous people were systematically denied most or all of the rights of citizenship. This persisted until the late 20th century.

Justice calls for compensation for those wrongs — but not by creating inequality of rights once again.

I agree that the way Kuster is being treated is unjust. However, dividing Australians into first and second class is not the only way Australia can change its legal system to correct that.

One possible solution would be to generalize this new right so as to be applicable to all people whose background is associated with Australia — not solely to people whose background is indigenous.

Another solution that would apply to Kuster is suggested by the issue that the US DACA program partially addresses: people who were brought t the US as children and grew up there but are not citizens. They should have a way to become citizens. Australia should have such a policy too, and that would make Kuster a citizen.