Northern Territory Administration - Welfare Branch - interstate visits 1961-1966 [reference copy]

Northern Territory Administration – Welfare Branch – interstate visits 1961-1966 [reference copy] is a file held by National Archives of Australia. It is located at the Darwin office.

The records relate to the Part Aboriginal Education Scheme, an initiative of the Northern Territory Welfare Branch. After the passage of the 1953 Welfare Ordinance the Director of Welfare was given power to to place Aboriginal children interstate, or “to take a ward from a place in the Territory to a place outside the Territory”. Although the legislation contained the condition that this did not apply to children under the age of 14, who by removal interstate would be separated from their parents, the legislation allowed this condition to be overridden if the Administrator authorised it. This legislation led to many Aboriginal children being sent interstate for care and education. The Part Aboriginal Education Scheme saw children moved from the Northern Territory to eastern states including New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland to attend schools. Some children were in boarding schools, others attended day schools and were fostered by families.

These records show that some children sent interstate under the Part Aboriginal Education Scheme ended up living in children’s institutions, such as Tally Ho in Melbourne and Dalmar in Sydney.

The file contains records relating to public servants from the NT Welfare Branch and the Adelaide office of the Department of the Interior, organising and reporting on visits to the children in eastern states. The records contain personal information about children who were sent interstate under the scheme.