From 1863 until 1911, the Northern
Territory was annexed to South Australia.
In 1911, the Northern
Territory Aboriginals Ordinance established the NT Aboriginals
Department. The Chief Protector was appointed the 'legal guardian
of every Aboriginal and every half-caste
child up to the age of 18 years'.
In 1918, the Chief Protector's powers were extended.
Under the Aborigines
Ordinance 1918 , all Indigenous females were under the total
control of the Chief Protector unless they were married and living
with a husband 'who is
substantially of European origin'.
In 1927, the
Commonwealth Government set up an inquiry into Indigenous affairs in
the Northern Territory. The report found that many Indigenous
people were not paid wages, living conditions were appalling
and that government-run institutions 'were badly situated, inadequately
financed
and insufficiently supervised'. The report also recommended that
missions be given responsibility for Indigenous children.
The
introduction of the Welfare
Ordinance 1953 started the move towards assimilation
through general child welfare
laws. Indigenous and non-Indigenous children were now covered
by the same law.' However only those people who had no voting rights
could
be made wards and at this time most Indigenous people could
not vote.
In 1955, the NT Government decided that Indigenous
children in homes and missions should be moved to homes in the southern
States.
By
the close of the 1960s, children were being placed into foster
care as
institutions and homes were being closed. In 1971, 97 percent
of all Territory children in foster care were Indigenous.
The
assimilation policy was formally abolished by the Commonwealth
Government in 1973, in favour of self-management by Indigenous
people. In 1978, the Northern Territory was granted self-government
by an Act of the Commonwealth Parliament. See the NT
Laws page for any laws passed after this date.
List of
Reports >>
