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Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department

Agency overview
Formed	28 April 1966 (1966-04-28)
Preceding agency	Director of Native Affairs Office
Dissolved	16 January 1975 (1975-01-16)
Superseding agency	Aboriginal and Islanders Advancement Department
Type	Department
Jurisdiction	Queensland
Child agency	46 subordinate agencies and offices. See article.
Key documents	Establishing: Aborigines' and Torres Strait Islanders' Affairs Act 1965 Abolishing: The Aborigines Act and Other Acts Amendment Act 1975
Agency ID	137
Footnotes
Source

The Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department was established on 28/4/1966.

It was a Queensland Government department and it managed the affairs of ‘assisted’ Aborigines, under a policy of complete equality. In 1971 the term 'assisted' was abolished. The Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department's name changed to the Aboriginal and Islander Advancement Department on 16 January 1975.

History

Establishment

The Department of Aboriginal and Island Affairs was established when The Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders Affairs Act of 1965 came into force on 28 April 1966. The Aboriginals Preservation and Protection Act of 1939 had represented a change in government policy from the protection and segregation of indigenous people to protection and preservation through assimilation into the broad white community. After the 1965 Act, the Department's policy towards Aboriginal affairs was one of complete equality, opportunity and responsibility within the white community. Instead of seeking 'exemption' from the provision of the Act, people had to apply for a 'Certificate of Entitlement' in order to come under the Act. Wage control and employment agreements were only administered for assisted people. Only people on reserves were considered assisted. With the introduction of the Aborigines Act 1971 and the Torres Strait Islanders Act 1971, the term 'assisted' was abolished.

Abolition

The Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department's name changed to the Aboriginal and Islander Advancement Department on 16 January 1975.

Function

The agency had the following responsibilities:

• Health
• Education
• Employment
• Housing and accommodation
• Child welfare
• Personal finance and taxation
• Pensions and benefits
• Vocational training
• Property
• Issue of Certificates of Entitlement
• Removals
• Industrial operators
• Recreation
• Settlements, missions, camps
• Pastoral operations
• Regional development
• Protection and preservation of relics

Agencies controlled

The department controlled 46 governmental bodies as follows:

The department controlled more than ten other agencies or offices.

Agency From To Mabuiag Island School 25/3/1904 16/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, District Office, Weipa South 1/2/1966 16/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, District Office, Maryborough 18/4/1966 31/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, District Office, Mount Isa 28/4/1966 1/1/1973 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, District Office, Normanton 28/4/1966 1/1/1974 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, District Office, Atherton 28/4/1966 16/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, District Office, Babinda 28/4/1966 16/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, District Office, Bamaga 28/4/1966 16/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, District Office, Birdsville 28/4/1966 16/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, District Office, Cherbourg 28/4/1966 16/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, District Office, Chillagoe 28/4/1966 16/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, District Office, Clermont 28/4/1966 16/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, District Office, Cooktown 28/4/1966 16/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, District Office, Croydon 28/4/1966 16/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, District Office, Cunnamulla 28/4/1966 16/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, District Office, Edmonton 28/4/1966 16/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, District Office, Edward River 28/4/1966 16/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, District Office, Einasleigh 28/4/1966 16/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, District Office, Foleyvale 28/4/1966 16/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, District Office, Georgetown 28/4/1966 16/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, District Office, Hughenden 28/4/1966 16/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, District Office, Ingham 28/4/1966 16/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, District Office, Kowanyama 28/4/1966 16/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, District Office, Lockhart River 28/4/1966 16/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, District Office, Mackay 28/4/1966 16/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, District Office, Mareeba 28/4/1966 16/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, District Office, Mossman 28/4/1966 16/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, District Office, Mount Surprise 28/4/1966 16/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, District Office, Palm Island 28/4/1966 16/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, District Office, Ravenshoe 28/4/1966 16/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, District Office, Richmond 28/4/1966 16/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, District Office, St George 28/4/1966 16/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, District Office, Thursday Island 28/4/1966 16/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, District Office, Winton 28/4/1966 16/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, District Office, Woorabinda 28/4/1966 16/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, District Office, Yarrabah 28/4/1966 16/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, Regional District Office, Cairns 28/4/1966 16/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, Regional District Office, Rockhampton 28/4/1966 16/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, Regional District Office, Townsville 28/4/1966 16/1/1975 Doomadgee State School 28/4/1966 16/1/1975 Native Court, Murray Island 28/4/1966 16/1/1975 Tagai State College - Mer Campus 28/4/1966 16/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, District Office, Charters Towers 28/4/1966 31/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, District Office, Doomadgee 28/4/1966 31/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, Regional District Office, Mount Isa 1/1/1973 16/1/1975 Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department, Regional District Office, Normanton 1/1/1974 16/1/1975

Administered Acts

The department executed its functions and responsibilites via various Acts and regulations. Acts administered by the department included:

• Aborigines' and Torres Strait Islanders' Affairs Act 1965
• Lands Act 1962 (in relation to Deeds of Grant in Trust)
• Aboriginal Relics Preservation Act 1967
• Aborigines Act 1971
• Torres Strait Islanders Act 1971
• Local Government (Aboriginal Lands) Act 1978 (Aurukun, Mornington Is)

Administrative structure

For administrative purposes Queensland was divided into areas: the Southern, Central, Far Northern, Torres Strait and Peninsula and Northern Peninsula divisions. Districts, as they were, were abolished and replaced with existing Magistrates Court Districts, for the purposes of the Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders Affairs Act of 1965. The role of Local Protector was also abolished and every Clerk of the Court of Petty Sessions was appointed District Officer for the purposes of the Act. Superintendents of reserves and settlements were now called 'managers' and were appointed Assistant District Officers, but were not subject to the District Officer where the reserve or settlement was located. There were Regional District Offices at Brisbane, Cairns and Townsville to co-ordinate the work of the District Officers. There were also detached offices at Mareeba, Normanton, Cunnamulla, Mt Isa, Maryborough, Coen and St George. The 1965 Act also made provision for the creation of Aboriginal Councils on reserves and communities, with powers, duties and functions of local government, as prescribed by the Act. The Aborigines' Relics Preservation Act of 1967 established an advisory committee on the preservation of relics and sites, which were now recorded. The Department was also responsible for archaeological excavations. The Aborigines Act 1971 and the Torres Strait Islanders Act 1971 established the Aboriginal Advisory Council and the Island Advisory Council, composed of chairmen from the Aboriginal and Island Councils, who acted as advisers to the Minister. In Dec 1972, when the Director of Aboriginal and Island Affairs became the permanent head of the Department, the Department became autonomous.

Sources

• Queensland Government Gazette 1966, Vol CCXXI, No 98, p 2105
• Queensland Parliamentary Papers 1966-1967, p 1152
• Queensland Government Gazette 1968, Vol CCXXVII, No 9, p 289
• Queensland Government Gazette 1968, Vol CCXXVIII, No 98, p 1602
• Queensland Parliamentary Papers 1972-1973, p 1485
• Queensland Government Gazette 1975, Vol CCXLVIII, No 10, p 224
• Queensland Parliamentary Papers 1975-1976, p 1553

Attribution

This Wikipedia article was originally based on Agency Details: Aboriginal and Island Affairs Department published by the State of Queensland under CC-BY 3.0 AU licence (accessed on 11 April 2020) Category:Articles incorporating text from the Queensland State Archives

Category:Former government departments of Queensland Category:1966 establishments in Australia Category:Government agencies established in 1966 Category:1975 disestablishments in Australia Category:Government agencies disestablished in 1975