Review on the Background of the Aborigine
In 1901, there was a policy made which stated that the Commonwealth could legislate for any race but Aborigines. Chief Protector is made the legal
guardian for every Aboriginal and half-descent child under 16 years old in the Western Australia Aborigines Act policy in 1905. As in Northern territory, the
Aborigines Protection Board Act is passed in 1910 giving the authority to the Board to have a
‗legal‘ control over Aboriginal people on stations and reserves http:www.creativespirits.info.
The policies were continued to be developed that in 1911 there is the South Australian Aborigines Act in which every Aboriginal child and any child of
‗half-caste‘ who is under 21 years old would be under the control of a Chief Protector as the legal guardian. Later in 1939 the Aborigines Protection Board
replaced the Chief Protector and only then in 1962 the guardianship power is made invalid. Whereas in the Northern territory, the Northern Territory
Aboriginals Ordinance is passed which put every child below 18 years old belong to the Aboriginal race and ‗half-caste‘ under the control of Chief Protector as the
legal guardian. Anyone under the control of this kind of authority could be forced to go
for missions and children were also taken from family by force http:www.creativespirits.info.
During the beginning of World War I, in 1914 there were about 400 to 500 Aboriginal children were removed from their families. As in 1915, the Aborigines
Protection Board in New South Wales was permitted to remove any Aboriginal children even without court hearing. However, in 1940 this power is invalid after
the rename
of the
Board into
Aborigines Welfare
Board http:www.creativespirits.info.
In 1918, according to the Northern Territory Aboriginal Ordinance Act, no Aborigines were allowed to drink, possess, or supply any of the alcoholic drink.
They were also prohibited to equip themselves with firearms, get married to non- Aboriginal people or any other race aside from their own race. In the 1920 is the
year when the Aboriginal is to be at its lowest population which is about 60,000 - 70,000 http:www.creativespirits.info.
In 1927, the payments of the Aborigines were not given to them personally but to the Aborigines Protection Board. Also at this time the Aborigines were not
given their
allowance for
maternity or
even old
age pension
http:www.creativespirits.info. The history goes on that in 1936 the Aborigines could even apply to stop
being and an Aborigine under the Aborigines Act. These policies were made and put the whites into advantages whereas the Aborigines were at disadvantages
http:www.creativespirits.info. In 1938 the White Australia Policy even succeeds that the 99 of
the inhabitants in Australia were the whites. For any Aborigines who wanted to have the same opportunity as the white people could apply for
the exemption certificate with the condition they should not get along with those
whoever that
do not
have this
kind of
certificate http:www.creativespirits.info. The hardship of the Aborigines went on as the
Aborigines continued to suffer from social marginalization even when the anti-
discrimination laws existed in the 19
th
century. During all this time, the laws were no help to the Aborigines since their position in politic was also at disadvantage
adding to their endless seem suffering Cashmore, 2004: 2. Moreover, the Aborigines, as in contrast to the other Australians, many of
them were unemployed which was five times higher than those of the other Australians. The rate of Aborigine‘s imprisonment was also high that it reached
fifteen times higher than non-Aborigines Cashmore, 2004: 2. Only in the year 1975 is when Racial Discrimination Act is passed and is
this year as well the white Australian immigration policy came to an end http:www.creativespirits.info.