The Aborigines Act 1905 (Act no. 1905/014 (5 Edw. VII No.14) was reserved for Royal assent on 23 December 1905 and commenced in April 1906. It was ‘An Act to make provision for the better protection and care of the Aboriginal inhabitants of Western Australia.’ It governed the lives of all Aboriginal people in Western…
The Aborigines Act 1897 (Act no. 1897 (61 Vict. No.5)) was proclaimed on 28 March 1898. Its long title was ‘An Act to further amend the Constitution Act of 1889, and for the better Protection of the Aboriginal Race of Western Australia.’ It abolished the Aborigines Protection Board and established the Aborigines Department. The Act…
The Aborigines Act 1889 (Act no. 1889 (52 Vict. No.24)) was fully titled ‘An Act to provide for certain matters connected with the Aborigines.’ It was reserved for Royal Assent on 29 April 1889 and was proclaimed on 28 October 1890. This Act repealed Part I of the Aborigines Protection Act 1886 giving the Aborigines…
The Aborigines Protection Act 1886 (Act no. 1886 (50 Vict. No.25)) was passed on 2 Setember 1886 and commenced on 1 January 1887. The full title of the Act is ‘An Act to provide for the better protection and management of the Aboriginal Natives of Western Australia, and to amend the Law relating to certain…
The Industrial Schools Act 1874 (1874/011) was the first comprehensive attempt at child welfare legislation in Western Australia. The Act served double duty as a means to care for children identified as needy, and to be able to punish young offenders by sending them to gaol. These separate functions led to further amendments and resulted…
The Aboriginal Girls Protection 1844 (Act no. 1844 (8 Vict. No.6)) commenced on 1 August 1844. It had the long title of ‘An Act to Prevent the Enticing Away the Girls of the Aboriginal Race from School or from any Service in which they are Employed’. This legislation made it an offence to remove Aboriginal…
The Children and Community Services Act 2004 (Act no.2004/034) is the principal legislation governing the care and protection of children in Western Australia. It is administered by the government department responsible for the welfare of children. In 2014, this was the Department for Child Protection and Family Support. The purpose outlined in the Act is…
The Adoption Act 1994 (Act no. 1994/009) is fully titled ‘An Act to make provision for the adoption of persons and for the parties to adoptions and their relatives to have access to information about the parties, to repeal the Adoption of Children Act 1896, and for related purposes.’ It was passed on 15 April…
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…
Dec 18, 2024
Nov 15, 2024
