The Chief Protector of Aborigines was an official role first held in 1898. The Aborigines Act 1897 abolished the Aborigines Protection Board, and created both the Aborigines Department and its head, the Chief Protector. The role was given legal authority by the Aborigines Act 1905. The Chief Protector was the legal guardian of every Aboriginal…
The Aborigines Protection Board in the Crown Colony of Western Australia was established in 1887, as a result of the Aborigines Protection Act 1886. The Board was responsible for the welfare of all Aboriginal people. This included the care, custody and education of all Aboriginal children, and the power to apprentice any Aboriginal child. In…
The Aborigines Department was created in 1926, taking over the responsibilities for Aborigines for the whole of the state of Western Australia that were divided previously between the Department of the North West and the Department of Fisheries. The Department had the Protector of Aborigines as its head. It was replaced by the Department of…
The Department of the North West was given responsibility in 1920 for Aboriginal people living in the ares of Western Australian above latitude 25 degrees south. The Department administered the policies of Chief Protector of Aborigines which included, who was legal guardian of every Aboriginal child as stipulated in the Aborigines Act 1905. In 1926…
The Fisheries Department had a brief role in the ‘care’ and ‘protection’ of Aboriginal children from 1920, when it was given responsibility for Aboriginal matters in Western Australian areas below latitude 25 degrees south. It administered the Aborigines Act 1905 in this area of the State until those functions were removed from the Fisheries Department…
The Department of Aborigines and Fisheries in Western Australia was created in 1909 by the amalgamation of the Aborigines Department and the Fisheries Department. The head of the Department, the Chief Protector of Aborigines, was the legal guardian of every Aboriginal child in Western Australia, as stipulated in the Aborigines Act 1905. In 1920, the…
The Aboriginal Student Accommodation Service was part of the Department for Community Development. It was a placement service for young Aboriginal people from remote areas who were undertaking education or employment in towns or cities. Its exact dates of operation are unknown.
The Department of Indigenous Affairs (DIA) was formed in July 2001, continuing the Aboriginal Affairs Department. In its overview of the department, the State Records Office listed one of the core functions of the DIA as providing an ‘information service to assist Indigenous people gain access to family history information.’ On May 17 2013, the…
The Aboriginal Affairs Department operated from 1 November 1994 to 30 June 2001, continuing the Aboriginal Affairs Planning Authority. Although it was the key government organisation responsible for Aboriginal matters in Western Australia, it was not responsible for the welfare of Aboriginal children. The Aboriginal Affairs Department continued as the Department of Indigenous Affairs from…
The Aboriginal Affairs Planning Authority (AAPA) operated from 16 June 1972 to 31 October 1994 as the key government organisation responsible for Aboriginal matters in Western Australia. Although it continued the Department of Native Welfare, the AAPA did not carry forward the responsibilities for the welfare of Aboriginal children. These functions had been transferred to…
Dec 18, 2024
Nov 15, 2024
