The colonisation of Australia, which began in 1788 with the arrival of the First Fleet at Port Jackson, marked a profound transformation in the continent's social, political, and cultural landscapes. This process was driven by British imperial ambitions, economic interests, and the strategic desire to expand territorial control in the southern hemisphere. Colonisation in Australia did not occur in isolation but was part of a broader pattern of European expansion that sought to claim lands inhabited by Indigenous peoples worldwide. From the outset, the British approach to colonisation was informed by the doctrine of terra nullius, a legal concept asserting that land unoccupied by Christians was effectively “empty” and could be claimed without negotiation or compensation. This doctrine denied the existence of Aboriginal sovereignty, land ownership, and governance systems, setting the stage for the dispossession and marginalisation of Indigenous communities. The initial impact of colonisation on Aboriginal societies was immediate and devastating. Aboriginal people, who had lived on the continent for tens of thousands of years, had developed complex social structures, law systems, spiritual traditions, and sustainable land management practices. With the arrival of British settlers, these systems were disrupted. The introduction of foreign diseases, including smallpox, measles, and influenza, resulted in catastrophic population declines, with some estimates suggesting mortality rates of up to 90% in certain regions. This demographic collapse undermined the continuity of cultural practices, oral histories, and traditional knowledge, severely affecting Aboriginal identity at a foundational level. Land dispossession was central to the colonisation process and had a direct impact on Aboriginal identity. Traditional land was not merely a resource but a core component of cultural, spiritual, and social life. Sacred sites, songlines, and Dreaming narratives were intimately tied to particular landscapes. The British appropriation of land for agriculture, settlement, and resource extraction severed these connections, weakening the transmission of cultural knowledge across generations. Aboriginal people were forcibly removed from their homelands in a series of displacements and relocations, often to missions or reserves that imposed European social norms and religious practices. This removal from ancestral lands disrupted kinship networks and ceremonial life, further eroding cultural identity and the sense of belonging. The imposition of European legal, political, and economic systems represented another layer of colonial impact. Aboriginal law, which regulated land use, social obligations, and dispute resolution, was disregarded or criminalised by colonial authorities. Traditional leadership structures were undermined, and Aboriginal communities were subjected to European governance frameworks that ignored their cultural norms. The introduction of a cash economy and private property concepts also destabilised subsistence practices such as hunting, fishing, and gathering, creating economic dependency and further marginalising Indigenous populations. These structural changes reinforced a perception of Aboriginal people as inferior or incapable of managing their own affairs, which became entrenched in colonial policy and societal attitudes. Cultural assimilation policies intensified during