Artefacts about Activism & Advocacy

The Social Services Act of 1947 was amended in 1959 and some of the discriminatory passages were removed. However, it continued to exclude some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from social services.

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.

After observing the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were forced to live at Palm Island Reserve, one resident asked the federal government for help, including asking for a review into how reserve managers were using people’s government payments.

For a long time, Aboriginal people weren’t given birth certificates. Walaru’s experience is an example of how difficult it was to prove age and show eligibility for Old-age Pension.

In a magazine piece, an Aboriginal community leader called out an offensive article that had discussed Aboriginal rights and spread misinformation.

Prominent Aboriginal activists discussed government policies and the issues of indirect government payments, wage theft and land rights at a conference in Queensland, criticising the government for their treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Activist EM Willington successfully petitioned the government for direct payments for Aboriginal people who had earned an independent income, paid taxes and managed their money their whole lives.

A leaflet calling for Aboriginal affairs to become a federal government responsibility showed how state-based laws that governed Aboriginal people differed and led to inequality.