The History of Racial Discrimination in Queensland: A Documentation of Systematic Injustices
The historical documentation illuminates the systematic racial discrimination in Queensland, spanning early occupation to the implementation of oppressive laws and control mechanisms. From kidnapping indigenous women and children for servitude to enforced employment practices and financial exploitation, the narrative unveils a dark chapter of controlled lives, inadequate living conditions, and exploitation of indigenous labor. The accompanying images visually depict the various facets of discrimination, enforcement, and resistance faced by the indigenous population in Queensland.
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The History of Racial Discrimination in Queensland 1. Early occupation 2. Rule of law 3. Controlled lives 4. Controlled employment: community employment 5. Controlled employment: rural employment 6. Controlled finances 7. Free from control 8. Community policing Dr Ros Kidd www.linksdisk.com/roskidd
The History of Racial Discrimination in Queensland Early occupation Kidnapping women and children for servants Aboriginal experts guide explorers, surveyors Essential workers: roads, farms, stock, domestics 1000 permanent workers by 1886 Paid in old clothes, food scraps, alcohol, opium dregs Dr Ros Kidd www.linksdisk.com/roskidd
The History of Racial Discrimination in Queensland Rule of law 1897 Aboriginals Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act - laws in force until 1971 Police protectors surveillance network Transport to missions and settlements; control employment Dr Ros Kidd www.linksdisk.com/roskidd
The History of Racial Discrimination in Queensland Controlled lives Children separated into dormitories Inadequate government funding: bad diet, unsafe water, poor shelter Rudimentary schooling and child labour Government seizes child endowment from 1942 and pensions from 1960 Dr Ros Kidd www.linksdisk.com/roskidd
The History of Racial Discrimination in Queensland Controlled employment A. Community employment: Compulsory unpaid work, punishment for dissent Wages paid from 1968 but a fraction of basic wage Underpayment illegal after 1975 RDA Mass sackings as wages increase Government profit late 1970s $20m p.a. Seize Social Security payments for rent arrears HREOC Decision 1996, $7000 compensation Dr Ros Kidd www.linksdisk.com/roskidd
The History of Racial Discrimination in Queensland Controlled employment B. Rural employment: From 1897 compulsory work contracts; 3000 workers in 1907, 5000 in 1960s Girls and women from communities traded as domestics to early 1970s Government rates profits ahead of known physical and sexual abuses Aboriginal workforce essential but government sets pitiful wages Widespread employment abuses but few checks on conditions Dr Ros Kidd www.linksdisk.com/roskidd
The History of Racial Discrimination in Queensland Controlled finances Government controls private accounts 1897 to 1972 Permission to withdraw from savings frequently refused Employers rort pocket money ; police frauds unchecked 1933 all bank accounts centralised, 80% committed for interest revenue Trust funds misappropriated to cover government liabilities Dr Ros Kidd www.linksdisk.com/roskidd
The History of Racial Discrimination in Queensland Free from control Half Aboriginal population not under the Act but constant risk Routinely denied rental homes; substandard amenities on country reserves Dr Ros Kidd www.linksdisk.com/roskidd
The History of Racial Discrimination in Queensland Community policing Aboriginal police work for manager, not community councils Alcohol legal on communities from 1972, but minimal facilities Sly grog fuels fights Infrequent policing as Police and Aboriginal departments refuse to fund State police from early 1980s but personnel problematic Policing reports show community complaints still ignored (Cape York Justice Study, 2001: Palm Island Select Committee Report, 2005; Palm Island: Future Directions, 2006) Dr Ros Kidd www.linksdisk.com/roskidd
