The Aboriginals Ordinance 1953 (Act no. 7/1953) is an amendment of the Aboriginals Ordinance 1918. Its full title was “An Ordinance to amend the Aboriginals Ordinance 1918-1947”. It was to be superceded by the Aboriginals Ordinance (No. 2) 1953, which never became effective.
The Aboriginals Ordinance 1953 further amended the Aboriginals Ordinance 1918. A significant amendment to the language and definitions used was made, whereby the definition of ‘aboriginal’ no longer included references to ‘half-castes’. The key provisions of the Ordinance involved the powers of the Director (previously ‘Chief Protector’ until amended to ‘Director of Native Affairs’ in the Aboriginals Ordinance 1939). The Director was made the legal guardian of all ‘aboriginals’ and oversaw many matters relevant to the lives of Aboriginal people.