Report

Title: Report of a commission appointed by His Excellency the Governor to inquire into the treatment of Aboriginal native prisoners of the crown in this colony: and also in certain other matters relative to Aboriginal natives
Imprint: 1884
Url: http://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/intranet/libpages.nsf/WebFiles/Report+of+a+commission+appointed+by+his+excellency+the+governor+to+inquire+into+the+treatment+of+aboriginal+native+prisoners+of+the+crown+1884/$FILE/report+of+a+commission+1884.pdf
Description: This is the Report given to the Western Australian Parliament from the inquiry into the treatment of Aboriginal prisoners. The Inquiry looked at the treatment of prisoners on Rottnest Island, where young boys were kept in a Reformatory section. The Report also made recommendations about Aboriginal Protectors and Missions in the North-West. The Commissioners acknowledged that forcibly removing Aboriginal people from their traditional lands had profound negative impacts on their wellbeing and hoped that this practice would not continue into the future. They also recognized that the use of those lands had brought great economic benefit to the colony and recommended that part of the revenues generated should be used to benefit the original owners. However, they did not recommend closing the Rottnest Prison or the Reformatory.