Changing Gov policies toward Aboriginal People Flashcards
When was the protective legislation adopted?
From mid 19th century, Australia colonial and state governments adopted protective legislation and policies.
When did the Protection start and end?
1896 -1937
What was the purpose of protection?
Policies to control how Aboriginals lived and to segregate them from the white population.
what did the protection deny from aboriginals? What arguments did government use?
Denied independence and basic human rights.
Governments justify this by arguing that they were ‘civilising’ and defending the morality of the defenceless Aboriginal community.
What did the protection control?
- movements: kept on fenced reserves (need permission to leave or enter)
- leisure activities: traditional customs forbidden, closely watched with an emphasis on Christian worship as main community activity)
- work,earnings: all wages and property owned by the protector (need to permission to spend money from saving account)
- marriage and family life: needed permission, traditional names forbidden, children separated and sent to ‘school’.
Why did the Aboriginal Protection Board close down reserves and stations in NSW?
needed for soldier settlement scheme.
Homes of Aboriginal people whose links with that land stretched back thousands of years.
By what year had there been a decline in the Aboriginal Population?
by the 1920s
What came next? What were its affects? (assimilation)
In 1937, Commonwealth government held national conference on aboriginal affairs. Concluded that way forwrd was to ensure people not of full Aboriginal blood were absorbed into towns and cities and the wider white community. 1937 - 1965: Assimilation
The affects include: loss of cultural identity but have their ‘status’ raised.
What was it for? (assimilation)
The government called this a ‘policy of opportunity’.
Designed to make aboriginal people behave as whites
What would happen when accept it? (assimilation)
“reward” were given for abonding family ties and traditional ways, including:
pensions and welfare payments
certificate of exemption from Protection Act regulations
What improvement were made between 1941 and 1943? (assimilation)
1941 - child endowments payments granted if not living a ‘nomadic’ lifestyle
1942 - eligible for old age and invalid pensions
1943 - Certificate of Exemption issued as a step towards full citizenship.
By 1951 what happened? (assimilation)
all the australian states accepted the principles of assimialtion
What had the Aus states fail to deal with? (assimilation)
discrimination in terms of education, employment, housing and health persisted.
In 1951, Paul Hasluck: (assimilation)
Became the Federal Minister of Territories, and organised a meeting to find a way to improve the conditions and treatments of Aboriginal people.
In 1951, at the third Native Welfare Conference, he successfully promoted the policy of assimilation for all Aboriginal people.
What did assimilation force?
abandoning traditional values and community life and fitting into white society by becoming ‘Europeanised’.
Forced to move from reserves into the towns or cities. some set up fringe camps.
