Aboriginal Affairs in NSW

A Short History

Until 1981, the aim of government policy in NSW was the assimilation of Aboriginal people into mainstream society.

The Aborigines Protection Board was established in 1883, but did not have legal powers until 1909, when the Aborigines Protection Act was passed. This gave the Board wide ranging control over the lives of Aboriginal people, including the power to remove children from families.

The Aborigines Protection Board was renamed the Aborigines Welfare Board in 1940 with the Aborigines Protection (Amendment) Act 1940. A clear intention of the Act and the Board was the forced assimilation of Aboriginal people, most notably through the separation of children from their families.

The Aborigines Act (NSW) 1969 abolished the Aborigines Welfare Board and created the Aboriginal Advisory Council and the Directorate of Aboriginal Welfare (1969-1975) within the Premier's Department. In the same year, the Federal Government assumed responsibilities for Aboriginal Affairs.

In 1973, the Federal Parliament passed the Aboriginal Affairs (Arrangements with the States) Act which gave responsibility for Aboriginal housing, health, education back to the States. In NSW, these functions were mainstreamed into the responsibilities of those Government instrumentalities with primary responsibilities for service delivery.

In 1978, the Select Committee of the NSW Legislative Assembly on Aborigines published two reports, which effectively claimed that the policies of assimilation had failed, and that Government policies must be aimed at self determination.

The first report recommended that the Government recognise land rights and prior Aboriginal ownership of the land. The second report made a number of recommendations concerning social and economic policies relating to Aboriginal people.

These reports led to fundamental changes in the administration of Aboriginal affairs in NSW, including the enactment of the Aboriginal Land Rights Act in 1983, and the creation of a Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs.

The NSW Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs was established in October 1981. Its role was to provide advice to the Minister and to cooperate with other Government Departments in the determination and implementation of policy. However, the Ministry was also responsible for major initiatives including the enactment of the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983, which attempted to implement the philosophy of self determination.

The Ministry was abolished on 15 April 1988 and its functions and staff were transferred to the Premier's Department as the Bureau of Aboriginal Affairs.

In 1989 the Bureau became known as the Office of Aboriginal Affairs following a number of restructures.

In 1989, the Government set up the NSW Aboriginal Affairs Coordinating Committee, chaired by the Director General of the Office of Aboriginal Affairs. The purpose of the Committee was to facilitate the exchange of information between Departments and ensure that services provided to Aboriginal people were appropriate and effective.

In December 1992, the Council for Australian Governments endorsed the National Commitment to Improved Outcomes in the Delivery of Programs and Services for Aboriginal People and Torres Strait Islanders. The Office of Aboriginal Affairs took the role of assisting line agencies to implement the National Commitment, and established the NSW Coordinating Committee for Services Provided to Aborigines (chaired by the Director General) to achieve more effective and efficient Government agency outcomes.

In July 1993, the Office of Aboriginal Affairs was transferred from Premier's Department and became a separate agency responsible to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs.

In March 1994, the Office of Aboriginal Affairs was replaced by the Department of Aboriginal Affairs, with an upgraded role for the Director General.

Current NSW Government policy on Aboriginal affairs is based on the philosophy of Aboriginal self determination. This means the right of Aboriginal people to determine their own priorities and freely pursue their economic, social, and cultural development.

In February 2000, Premier Bob Carr announced a new approach to Aboriginal affairs in NSW, based on partnership between Aboriginal people, the Government, and other relevant sectors.

Partnerships: A New Way of Doing Business with Aboriginal People acknowledges the problems with past approaches to Aboriginal affairs and seeks to build on the successes.

Underpinning the new policy is a commitment to changing the relationship between government and Aboriginal people, and achieving major improvements in the social well-being of Aboriginal communities.