'Protection' and assimilation era institutions 1905-1969
The government removed Aboriginal children from their families and placed them into institutions between 1905 and 1969.
From 1905, the State Children’s Relief Department (SCRD) had the ability to remove children from their families and place them in an institution established under the Neglected Children and Juvenile Offenders Act 1905 (NSW) ().
Under the Aborigines Protection Act 1909 (NSW) (), the Aborigines Protection Board (APB) had duties in relation to the custody, maintenance and education of Aboriginal children and could refer children to the SCRD to be placed into institutions.
These powers were significantly expanded in 1915 to allow the APB to remove children to ‘such control and care as it thinks best’ (). In addition, its power to apprentice out an Aboriginal child was no longer subject to the Apprentices Act 1901 (NSW) ().
At the time, it was common practice in the non-Aboriginal child welfare system to place children in institutions, however, the APB’s approach was to develop a system of apprenticeships for older Aboriginal children (see SUB0093).
The abolition of the APB and creation of the Aborigines Welfare Board (AWB) by the Aborigines Protection (Amendment) Act 1940 (NSW) () marked a shift in policy to ‘assimilation’.
This Act meant the AWB could establish homes for the reception, maintenance and training of wards. The Bringing them Home Report (1997) () notes the AWB continued to establish institutions up until 1963, when it decided that the institutions encouraged segregation rather than assimilation and were too expensive.
The institutions continued to operate until 1969, when the Aborigines Act 1969 (NSW) () dissolved the AWB and placed Aboriginal children under the the Child Welfare Act 1939 (NSW) () which also applied to non-Aboriginal children (see SUB0117). This resulted in the children in the AWB’s homes being transferred to the care of the Department of Child Welfare and Social Welfare.