Archives



Church Missionary Society of Australia, North Australia Committee

The Records of the Church Missionary Society of Australia, North Australia Committee (CMS) are held by the Northern Territory Archives Service and cover the period from 1907 to 1989. These records primarily relate to the missionary work of the CMS in the Northern Territory. The collection also includes personal records of a number of CMS…

Child Migrants Oral History Project

The Child Migrants Oral History Project is an archival collection at the National Library of Australia. It comprises 10 interviews by Rob Willis with former child migrants who spent time in institutions in Western Australia and in New South Wales. Access Conditions Access conditions vary for different interviews. Some are available to be listened to…

Australian Inland Mission Collection

The Australian Inland Mission Collection is a digital picture collection relating to the work of the Australian Inland Mission throughout Australia from c.1912 to c.1955. The collection consists of photographic materials, slides, negatives and transparencies and is held by the National Library of Australia. It has been partially digitised and as at 2015 has over…

The King’s Trust

The Prince’s Trust was established in 1976 to improve the lives of disadvantaged young people in the United Kingdom. In 2011 the Trust merged with another charity, Fairbridge, making The Prince’s Trust the contact to access Fairbridge Society’s records. In 2024, The Prince’s Trust was renamed to The King’s Trust.

Mission Australia – Youth Accommodation and Support Service (YASS), Records

Mission Australia – Youth Accommodation and Support Service (YASS), Records is a collection of case files on young people who were accommodated by the YASS. The collection includes case notes, admission documents and consent forms. One year after the young person has left the service, the case files are deposited with an off-site archiving service….

Supporting Mother’s Benefit

The Supporting Mother’s Benefit was a Commonwealth allowance introduced in 1973 by the Whitlam government. It extended equal access to income support to all single mothers. In November 1977, it was replaced by the Supporting Parent’s Benefit, with sole fathers becoming eligible for payments. This payment made it possible for many single mothers to keep…

Widows’ Pension

The Widows’ Pension was a Commonwealth allowance introduced to enable widows with dependent children to stay at home and look after them, rather than having to go out to work to keep the family from destitution. From October 1942 until 1976, the Widows’ Pension was exempt from income tax. Single mothers, de facto wives and…

Broken Rites

Broken Rites is an organisation formed in 1992 by victims of church-related sexual abuse. About 90 per cent of the men and women who have contacted Broken Rites Australia have been from a Catholic background. The organisation also supports victims from other denominations including the Anglican Church and the Uniting Church. Broken Rites does not…

Fact-Finding Mission on Child Migration

The Fact-Finding Mission on Child Migration was a 1956 visit by a British team of inspectors to Australian institutions where British child migrants were living. One of its purposes was to decide whether Britain would continue to support migrant children after May 1957, when the British Empire Settlement Act, which provided for their maintenance, ceased…

Sisters of the Church

The Sisters of the Church were an Anglican religious order of women who arrived in Australia, from England, in September 1892. The Sisters focused on religious education and out-of-home care establishing schools in Adelaide and Hobart and a school and orphanage in Sydney. Arriving in Perth in 1901, they established children’s homes, schools and a…