In a climate of self-determination it is essential to clarify what Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people themselves feel about their cultural identity and future. These voices exist in a context of the great potential in Aboriginal culture and by contrast the severe problems which Aboriginal people face.

Lippman (1994) argues that, although there is some evidence of Aboriginal status becoming more equitable, education being one instance to avail self-determination, data continue to reveal that Aboriginal mortality and morbidity rates lie in stark contrast to those of the general population of Australia. The death rate for Aboriginal men and women of 35 to 44 years is eight times higher than for the average non-Aboriginal (Ferrari, 1997). Queensland Health (1996) recently reported that Cape York has yet to experience the mortality gains seen by Indigenous populations in New Zealand and North America.

Indigenous students in urban secondary schools in the Northern Territory are faced with barriers to their success in learning, in the education race. Amongst these is the question of language studies. Like all students, they must study English as a separate subject, they must study all other subjects using English as the language of instruction, and they must study a second language, a language other than English (LOTE), as a component of their Junior Secondary Studies Certificate. Most schools offer Indonesian and some are able to offer a broader choice. For the Indigenous student, social justice demands an addition to this range. It is illogical and unfair that schools, in some cases with up to 30 per cent Indigenous students, do not include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages in their programs. It is also shortsighted of schools to ignore the opportunity to provide these students with a subject area in which their culture is dominant.

It would be reasonable to assume that today's business managers are aware of the ethical and legal obligations they have with regard to discrimination and harassment. Anyone acting in a management position should realise that organisation are ‘subject to increasingly frequent lawsuits by a growing variety of groups, ranging from employees to clients’ (Robbins, 1991:85). The wise manager will, therefore, utilise the competencies of qualified human resource and legal practitioners to constantly review procedures in areas vulnerable to litigation.

This article addresses Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health problems and critically investigates current government policies which are attempting to raise the health standards of these Indigenous people. Particular emphasis will be placed on the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, which, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics census in 1986, stood at just over 61,000 or 2.4 per cent of the State's population.

During some stage in their lives many Torres Strait Islanders, especially women will migrate to Australia in order to further their education, employment and training (Warrior, 1997). This paper focuses on a recent that I carried out among Torres Strait Islander women living on the mainland. The purpose of the survey is to indicate how Torres Strait Islander women are maintaining their identity whilst living on the mainland. To show these results, first the Torres Strait Islanders will be discussed generally to give an overview of their identity, then briefly Torres Strait Islanders on the mainland will be discussed. The paper will then conclude which the results from the survey conducted.