Pensioners raise concerns with Cherbourg settlement
When Aboriginal pensioners raised concerns about their treatment at Cherbourg settlement and asked for direct payments, the government denied their request and refused to provide further support.
I do think that if we were granted our full pension we could live a lot better and buy our own meat and other things we need.
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Cherbourg settlement in Queensland was one of many state government reserves housing Aboriginal people in the middle of the 20th century. The reserve was on Wakka Wakka land and many of the people who lived there were forcibly moved there from afar.
Aboriginal people at reserves like Cherbourg had little freedom. Their government payments were usually intercepted by settlement managers and living conditions were subpar.
This excerpt contains a 1960 letter from Aboriginal pensioners protesting the conditions at Cherbourg. It also contains responses from the government denying the pensioners their claims.
A letter about the conditions of Cherbourg
The exchange begins with Neville T Morton sending a letter of complaint to the Prime Minister on behalf of ‘the Pensioners of Cherbourg’. In it, he outlines the conditions faced at the reserve.
The letter states that rations were ‘abominable’ and that residents paid for rent and electricity in what were described as ‘rent-free’ homes.
Federal government payments went through the Queensland Department of Native Affairs and then through settlement managers. Morton outlined that paying pensions ‘fully and directly’ would be better for Aboriginal residents.
Morton concludes his letter asking that residents ‘be treated like human beings’.
A disappointing response from government
This letter was passed on to the federal Department of Social Services. The department forwarded it on to state bodies for a response. This was a common approach at the time because Aboriginal affairs were a state responsibility until changes following the 1967 Referendum.
The Director of the Queensland Department of Native Affairs responded, rejecting Morton’s requests. He noted the Queensland Premier had received similar letters from residents.
He stated that if the pensioners wanted to handle their full pension, they could leave the reserve. He wrote ‘there is no compulsion on any pensioner to reside in a State Government Home or Settlement’.
However, many Aboriginal people from northern New South Wales and Queensland had been forcibly moved to and from Cherbourg (Blake 2001). It was tough to leave the reserve, and residents who left could not return without a permit, even to visit family who lived there.
The Prime Minister’s Department also responded, stating that without more complaints there was ‘insufficient reason at this stage to alter the procedure’. However, speaking out against settlement conditions could lead to residents being punished.
This exchange is one of many examples from the time of Aboriginal pensioners protesting conditions at government properties and asking for direct payments. It would be years before Aboriginal people were paid in full and directly.
This original signed letter and copies of correspondence and replies were kept in a file by the Department of Social Services. The file was later transferred to the National Archives of Australia, which holds it as part of the national archival collection.
You can access the file through RecordSearch. Go to pages 223–224 to see the letter.
Permissions
Permission to include this letter here was granted by members of the Morton family. The names of other signatories were redacted from the excerpt as not all descendants could be identified and consulted with.
Citation
National Archives of Australia: Department of Social Services; A884, Correspondence files, 1951–1974; A55 Part 15, Aborigines – eligibility for social service benefits – policy file, 1960–1961.