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Child Welfare Act Amendment Act 1958, Western Australia

The Child Welfare Act Amendment Act 1958 (s.4) amended the Child Welfare Act 1947 to again increase the ability of authorities to take children into the ‘care’ of the Child Welfare Department and (s.5) extend a period of wardship from 18 to 21 years for all young people who were wards of State, not only…

Native Welfare Act 1954, Western Australia

The Native Welfare Act 1954 (Act no. 1954/064 (3 Eliz. II No.64) was passed on 30 December 1954 and commenced on 20 May 1955. It was ‘An Act to amend the Native Administration Act, 1905-1947.’ The Act changed the titles of the Commissioner and Department of Native Affairs to Commissioner and Department of Native Welfare….

Child Welfare Act Amendment Act 1952, Western Australia

The Child Welfare Act Amendment Act 1952 amended the Child Welfare Act 1947 to increase the power of authorities to make children wards of the State. Changes were made to the definition of destitute and neglected children and to the definition of ‘ward’ (s.2) and it became an offence to try and prevent an officer…

Child Welfare Act 1947, Western Australia

The Child Welfare Act 1947 was the principal legislation governing child welfare in Western Australia, regulating the treatment of children sent to WA as unaccompanied child migrants after 1947 as well as all others in out of home care in the State. The Act repealed the State Children Act 1907 (as amended to 1941) but…

Native (Citizenship Rights) Act 1944, Western Australia

The Natives (Citizenship Rights) Act 1944 (023 of 1944 (8 & 9 Geo. VI No. 23)) had the full title ‘An act to provide for the acquisition of full rights of citizenship by aborigine natives’. This law made it possible for Aboriginal people to make an application to a magistrate for citizenship, as long as…

Native Administration Act Amendment Act 1941, Western Australia

The Native Administration Act Amendment Act 1941 amended the Aborigines Act Amendment Act 1936, also known as the Native Administration Act 1936. It restricted Aboriginal people living in the north of Western Australia from travelling south of the 20th parallel. The Amendment Act 1941 was repealed by the Native Welfare Act 1963. The stated purpose…

Child Migrants Trust

The Child Migrants Trust (CMT) was established in 1987 by English social worker Margaret Humphreys to address the issues surrounding the deportation of children from Britain, and to offer to former child migrants and their families services including counselling, support for family reunions, and family research. Since 2010, the CMT has administered the UK government-funded…

Aborigines Act Amendment Act 1936, Western Australia

The Aborigines Act Amendment Act 1936, also known as the ‘Native Administration Act 1936’, amended the Aborigines Act 1905. It created the Department of Native Affairs, and changed the title of Chief Protector to the Commissioner for Native Affairs. The Act also extended the powers of that role, especially as they affected children: the Commissioner…

State Children Act Amendment Act 1927, Western Australia

The State Children Act Amendment Act 1927 created some new terminology and updated the schedule of industrial schools covered by the Act. The principal Act, the State Children Act 1907, became the ‘Child Welfare Act’ (s.2); the term ‘state child’ was replaced (s.3) by ‘ward’; and the State Children Department was renamed (s.4) the ‘Child…

State Children Act Amendment Act 1919, Western Australia

The State Children Act Amendment Act 1919 repealed the State Children Act Amendment Act of 1915 and made significant amendments to the State Children Act 1907. It implemented changes recommended by the Select Committee of the Legislative Council which was appointed in 1918 to inquire into the State Children Act Amendment Bill. In terms of…