Aboriginal People in Queensland: a Brief Human Rights History
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Aboriginal people in Queensland: a brief human rights history Witnessing to Silence — sculpture by Fiona Foley, Brisbane Magistrates Court. Anti-Discrimination Commission Queensland Cover photo The Witnessing to Silence sculpture by Badtjala artist, Fiona Foley, is an installation that consists of stainless steel columns embedded with ash in laminated glass, bronze lotus lilies, and granite pavers etched with place names. The work is a memorial to Aboriginal people massacred in Queensland during colonial settlement and expansion. The panels of ash represent the way in which the bodies of the massacred people were disposed of — by burning and discarding — in waterways (the lotus lilies). The pavers which form part of the installation are etched with the names of ninety-four Queensland towns and places that are sites where massacres of Aboriginal people are known to have taken place. © 2017 Anti-Discrimination Commission Queensland. ISBN: 978-0-9580054-5-6 Copyright protects this material. The Anti-Discrimination Commission Queensland has no objection to this publication being reproduced, but asserts its right to be recognised as the author, and the right to have its material remain unaltered. This publication is licensed by the State of Queensland (Anti-Discrimination Commission Queensland) under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence (CC BY 4.0) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ) This publication is available in electronic format on the Anti-Discrimination Commission Queensland’s website at: www.adcq.qld.gov.au. Preface Aboriginal peoples are custodians of the world’s oldest cultures. The history of Aboriginal peoples prior to British colonisation was of clan or family groups with their own languages, culture and beliefs, living on, and managing their traditional lands and waters. For Queensland Aboriginal peoples, as with the other states, the colonial period brought dispossession of the land that was central to life and spiritual beliefs, as well as the destruction of the traditional way of life. Introduced diseases (previously unknown) had devastating effects on health. Removal of children from their families caused harm down the generations, and the legacy of the colonial period has been dispossession, inequality, racism, and injustice for Aboriginal peoples. This publication gives a brief history of the major events in Queensland that have affected the human rights of Aboriginal peoples since first contact with European people. It is presented to acknowledge that these events took place, that human rights abuses occurred, and that work still needs to be done to repair the damage. The Anti-Discrimination Commission Queensland acknowledges that language and power are interconnected, and that more than one term may be used to describe events in any historical narrative. For instance, use of terms such as ‘settlement’, ‘occupation’, ‘colonisation’ and ‘invasion’ may depend on the different perspectives of stakeholders. The Commission acknowledges both historical and ongoing injustices to Aboriginal peoples, and the power of language to recognise, ignore, or perpetuate those injustices. In the spirit of respectful scholarship, we note that these terms may be used interchangeably. The contribution made by Aboriginal people also needs to be acknowledged: to rural, pastoral, and maritime industries; to infrastructure through the construction of roads, railways and buildings; to defence of Australia in time of war; to the arts, literature, sport, and all aspects of community life. The Anti-Discrimination Commission Queensland acknowledges Aboriginal peoples, and recognises their culture, history, diversity, and deep connection to their traditional lands. The Commission works to educate the community about the human rights of all people, and reduce the inequality, racism, and injustice experienced by Aboriginal peoples. This work contains the stories, names, and photographs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have died and may cause distress to some readers. Contents Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 Aboriginal peoples .............................................................................................................. 2 Land management ................................................................................................................ 3 The colonial period ............................................................................................................. 4 Early contact ......................................................................................................................... 4 Cook and possession ............................................................................................................ 4 Settlement or occupation ...................................................................................................... 5 Queensland ...................................................................................................................... 5 Depopulation by disease and sexual abuse .......................................................................... 6 Undeclared wars ................................................................................................................... 6 Native Police .................................................................................................................... 6 Massacres ........................................................................................................................ 7 Recorded Queensland massacres .................................................................................... 8 Racial superiority theories ................................................................................................... 11 ‘Protection’ and assimilation eras ................................................................................... 12 Aboriginals Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act 1897 ................................. 12 Mission stations and reserves ............................................................................................. 12 Reserve life .................................................................................................................... 13 Exemption under the Act ................................................................................................ 14 Aboriginals Preservation and Protection Act 1939 ............................................................... 15 Assimilation ......................................................................................................................... 17 Effects of assimilation policy ........................................................................................... 17 Aborigines’ and Torres Strait Islanders’ Affairs Act 1965 ..................................................... 18 Palm Island: Punishment Island .......................................................................................... 18 1957 strike ...................................................................................................................... 18 Aborigines Act 1971 ............................................................................................................ 19 Stolen Generations ............................................................................................................. 19 Financial control and confiscation ....................................................................................... 20 Stolen Wages ................................................................................................................. 20 Welfare Fund ...................................................................................................................... 23 Unacknowledged contribution to the economy .................................................................... 24 War service ......................................................................................................................... 25 Civil rights era ................................................................................................................... 28 NAIDOC, FCAATSI, QCAATSI and CATSIAL ..................................................................... 28 OPAL ............................................................................................................................. 29 Activism .............................................................................................................................. 29 1967 Referendum and its impact .................................................................................... 30 Commonwealth schemes .................................................................................................... 31 Aboriginal Parliamentary representation ............................................................................. 32 Federal ........................................................................................................................... 32 Queensland .................................................................................................................... 32 Self-determination ............................................................................................................ 34 Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders ................. 34 Advisory bodies to government ..........................................................................................