Aboriginal Protection Act Case Study

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The introduction of Government Policy through the Aboriginal Protection Act. had a major impact on the lives of Aboriginal people past and present. This case study looks into the story of Coranderrk during this time of inequality and segregation through Government law and regulation.

The missionary period was a time of change for the Aboriginal people. After only thirty years of white settlement the population of first Australians reduced from 60,000 to just 2000. The impact of colonisation had a devastating effect, the aboriginal people were rapidly on their way to extinction, and had lost everything. They had lost their land, language, culture and freedom. Colonists denied Indigenous people the existence of their culture and therefore Indigenous …show more content…

offering a safe place, with food, water and protection. Aboriginal people, however, first had to covert to Christianity and live as a European. Accepting the loss of their land, Native’s such as Simon Wonga, knew they needed to adapt to the new world. After forming a friendship, Simon Wonga and British Priest, John Green, actively took it upon themselves to educate the Aboriginal children for European life, and claimed land, Coranderrk, to do so. Green had a vision to make Coranderrk a place where Aboriginal people could have a small portion of their own land. Green held no prejudices, allowing the Aboriginal people of Coranderrk to govern themselves and work like white people. Indigenous people were required to be helpful and civil within the community, however unlike European settlers the Protection Board was under no obligation to pay them any wages. This caused conflict, and when Greens’ promises were broken by the Board, he resigned from the reserve, withdrawing his resignation only a few days later. The Board, however, refused to reinstate him. Not long later, Simon Wonga died of tuberculosis, leaving his cousin William Barak to lead. After no response to pleading letters to the Board for Greens’ reinstatement, Barak wrote directly to the minister. The Board was furious at this and decided to sell the land of Coranderrk, commencing two years of protests, which resulted in the Royal Commission

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