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Victoria - Legislation

Aborigines Act 1890 (1890 - 1915)

From
1890
To
1915
Categories
Principal Act
Website
http://www.austlii.edu.au//au/legis/vic/hist_act/aa1890110/

The Aborigines Act of 1890 (Act no.1059) was 'An Act to consolidate the Laws relating to the Aboriginal Natives of Victoria.' It extended the powers of the Governor to separate Aboriginal children from their families. The Act commenced on 1 August 1890 and was repealed by the Aborigines Act 1915 on 1 October 1915.

Details

In many ways the 1890 Aborigines Act was a consolidation of the Aborigines Protection Act 1886, but it solidified the link between the government's mainstream child welfare system and systematic removal of Aboriginal children. The Aborigines Act of 1890 was in many ways merely a solidification of the 1886 Act, but it did add that the Governor was responsible for 'the care custody and education of the children of aboriginals'. Read in conjunction with the provisions of the 1886 Act, this meant that the Board for the Protection of Aborigines could, and did, transfer Aboriginal children to state 'care' even when they were not orphaned.

It was repealed by the Aborigines Act 1915, No. 2610.

Publications

Books

  • Broome, Richard, Aboriginal Victorians: a history since 1800, Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest, 2005. Details
  • Chesterman, John; Galligan, Brian, Citizens without rights: Aborigines and Australian citizenship, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1997. Details

Online Resources

Sources used to compile this entry: Broome, Richard, Aboriginal Victorians: a history since 1800, Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest, 2005; Chesterman, John; Galligan, Brian, Citizens without rights: Aborigines and Australian citizenship, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1997; Law Research Service, Melbourne Law School, Law Library, The University of Melbourne. 'Find and Connect Project - Victoria Legislation', 13 December 2013, held in the project files at the University of Melbourne eScholarship Research Centre.

Prepared by: Nell Musgrove