The Aborigines Act Amendment Act 1939 (Act No. 14/1939) was assented to on 22 November 1939 and commenced on 1 February 1940. It's full title was 'An Act to amend the Aborigines Act, 1934'. It replaced the position of Chief Protector with the Aborigines Protection Board.
Key Provisions: Position of Chief Protector replaced by the Aborigines Protection Board. Each member of the Board to be a protector of Aborigines for the whole of the state. System of regional protectors continued. Definition of 'aborigine' expanded and ceased to distinguish 'half-castes'. Established a system of exemptions from the jurisdiction of the Act. 'Where the board is of the opinion that any aborigine by reason of his character and standard of intelligence and development should be exempted from the provisions of this Act, the board may … declare that the aborigine shall cease to be an aborigine for the purposes of this Act'. Exemptions may be conditional and revokable for three years or unconditional and irrevocable. Repealed by Aboriginal Affairs Act 1962.
Sources used to compile this entry: To Remove and Protect, South Australian Legislation, AIATSIS, 2009, http://aiatsis.gov.au/collections/collections-online/digitised-collections/remove-and-protect/south-australia;
Law Research Service, Melbourne Law School, Law Library, The University of Melbourne. 'Find and Connect Project - South Australia Legislation', 13 December 2013, held in the project files at the University of Melbourne eScholarship Research Centre.
Prepared by: Melissa Downing, Christine Moje
Created: 21 February 2011, Last modified: 16 January 2023
Last updated: 7 August 2023
Cite this: https://www.findandconnect.gov.au/ref/sa/biogs/SE00270b.htm
First published by the Find & Connect Web Resource Project for the Commonwealth of Australia, 2011
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