When pseudoscientific ideas of race became integral to government policies and legislation in Australia in the 19th and 20th centuries, the consequences were devastating for Indigenous Australians and other minority groups. These policies were based on the idea of white racial superiority and were designed to maintain the dominance of the white population over other racial groups.
One example of this was the policy of forced removal of Indigenous children from their families, known as the "Stolen Generations." This policy was based on the belief that Indigenous people were inferior and needed to be assimilated into white culture in order to be "civilized." Thousands of Indigenous children were taken from their families and placed in government-run institutions or adopted by white families, where they were often subjected to physical, emotional, and sexual abuse.
Other policies based on pseudoscientific ideas of race included the White Australia Policy, which restricted immigration to only white Europeans, and the practice of eugenics, which aimed to "improve" the human race by promoting selective breeding and sterilization of those deemed "unfit" or "undesirable."
These policies had profound and long-lasting effects on Indigenous Australians and other minority groups. They perpetuated racism and discrimination, undermined cultural traditions and identities, and caused significant trauma and suffering. Today, there is a growing recognition of the harm caused by these policies and a movement towards reconciliation and addressing the ongoing effects of colonization and racism.