Changes in policy, even when addressed to problems created by the past, do not erase the past. The history of forced resettlement on reserves, the placing of many thousands of children in institutions, and the loss of land and culture are evident in the disadvantages still experienced by many Aboriginal people today. The coming together in settlements and missions of many different groups with different languages and customs created new tensions. The availability of Western medical skills, education and technology increased the degree of contact with the outside world and 'Anglo-Australian ways. The increasing availability of television in rural areas and the advent of satellite communications have added further pressures.
Alcohol continues to have a devastating effect.
Payments of social service benefits cut across traditional kinship rules. Aborigines seeking education for their children may find that Western education tends to undermine traditional lifestyles and social structures.