List of laws concerning Indigenous Australians explained

A range of laws applying to or of specific relevance to Indigenous Australians. A number of laws have been passed since the European settlement of Australia, initially by the Parliament of the United Kingdom, then by the Governors or legislature of each of the Australian colonies and more recently by the Parliament of Australia and that of each of its States and Territories, these laws, arranged chronologically, include:

Title		Focus	Notes
Aboriginals Fire Arm Regulation Act 1840	New South Wales	Control	^[1]
Aboriginal Orphans Act 1844	South Australia	Control	^[2]
Aboriginal Witnesses Act	South Australia	Control	^[3]
Supply of Liquors to Aborigines Prevention Act 1867	New South Wales	Control	^[4]
Aboriginal Protection Act 1869	Victoria (colonial)	Control
Aborigines Protection Act 1886 (WA)	Western Australia	Control	^[5] ^[6] ^[7]
Half-Caste Act 1886 (Vic)	Victoria	Control	^[8]
Half-Caste Act 1886 (WA)	Western Australia	Control
Act to provide certain matters connected with the Aborigines 1889 (statute 24/1889)	Western Australia	Control
Aboriginal Protection and restriction of the sale of opium act 1897	Queensland	Control
Aborigines Protection Act 1909	New South Wales	Control
Aborigines Act 1910	Victoria
Aborigines Act 1911	South Australia	Control	^[9]
Aborigines (Training of Children) Act 1923	South Australia	Control	^[10]
Aborigines Act 1934	South Australia	Control	^[11]
Aborigines Protection (Amendment) Act 1940	New South Wales	Control
Pitjantjatjara Lands Act 1956	South Australia	First native title legislation in the country	^[12]
Aboriginal Affairs Act 1962	South Australia	Control	^[13]
Aboriginal Lands Trust Act 1966	South Australia	Land rights
Aborigines Act 1969 (NSW)	New South Wales	Control	^[14]
Aboriginal Lands Act 1970	Victoria	Land rights
Aboriginal Affairs (Arrangements with the States) Act 1973	Commonwealth of Australia	Inter-governmental administration
National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 (NSW)	New South Wales	Heritage
Aboriginal Relics Act 1975 (No. 81 of 1975)	Tasmania	Heritage protection
Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1976	Commonwealth of Australia	Land rights
Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Land Rights Act, 1981	South Australia	Land rights
Maralinga Tjarutja Land Rights Act 1984	South Australia	Land rights
Aboriginal Heritage Act 1988 (SA)	South Australia	Heritage
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission Act 1989	Commonwealth	Control
Native Title Act 1993	Commonwealth	Native title	^[15]
Native Title (South Australia) Act 1994	South Australia	Native title
Aboriginal Lands Act 1995	Tasmania	Land rights
Living Marine Resources Management Act 1995 (No. 25 of 1995)	Tasmania	Protection
Hindmarsh Island Bridge Act 1996	Commonwealth	Development	^[16] ^[17]
Native Title Amendment Act 1998	Commonwealth	Native title	^[18]
Burial and Cremation Act 2002 (No. 4 of 2002)	Tasmania	Control
National Parks and Reserves Management Act 2002 (No. 62 of 2002)	Tasmania	Protection and Control
Nature Conservation Act 2002 (No. 63 of 2002)	Tasmania	Protection
Aboriginal Lands Parliamentary Standing Committee Act 2003	South Australia	Land rights
Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2003 (Qld)	Queensland	Heritage
Commission of Inquiry (Children in State Care and Children on APY Lands) Act 2004	South Australia	Investigatory/ Child protection	^[19]
Aboriginal Land Council Elections Act 2004	Tasmania	Elections
Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006	Victoria	Heritage	^[20]
Stolen Generations of Aboriginal Children Act 2006	Tasmania	Compensation for people of the Stolen Generations
Northern Territory National Emergency Response Act 2007 (No. 129, 2007)	Commonwealth	Land control, protection, Control	^[21]

See also

• Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1976
• History of Indigenous Australians
• Native title in Australia
• Native title legislation in Australia

Further reading

• To 1987 - Encyclopedia: Appendix – Legislation: Major acts and ordinances relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people . The Encyclopaedia of Aboriginal Australia: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, society and culture . 2 . 1294–1297 . Aboriginal Studies Press . 1994 .
• Web site: Timeline: Legal Developments Affecting Indigenous People . . 8 October 2010 .

External links

• Indigenous Australia: Timeline - Contact 1901 - 1969 at the Australian Museum

Notes and References

1. http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/num_act/afara1840n13337/ An Act to prohibit the Aboriginal Natives of New South Wales from having Fire Arms or Ammunition in their possession without the permission of a Magistrate (No.13a/1840)
2. http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/sa/num_act/aea8o7a8v1844262/ An Ordinance to Provide for the Protection, Maintenance, and Up-Bringing of Orphans and other Destitute Children of the Aborigines (No.12/1844)
3. http://hdl.handle.net/2328/1919 To facilitate the admission of the unsworn testimony of Aboriginal inhabitants of South Australia and parts adjacent (No.8/1844)
4. https://www.scribd.com/document/332972469/Supply-of-Liquors-to-Aborigines-Prevention-Act-1867-NSW An Act to prohibit the supply of Intoxicating Liquors to the Aboriginal Natives of New South Wales
5. http://www.sro.wa.gov.au/collection/aboriginalrecords.asp For records relating to the WA Aboriginal Protection Board see the WA States Records Office accessed 20 March 2008
6. An Act to provide for the better protection and management of the Aboriginal natives of Western Australia, and to amend the law relating to certain contracts with such Aboriginal natives (statute 25/1886)
7. Web site: Aboriginal Protection Board at the State Records Office of Western Australia, accessed 20 March 2008 . 23 March 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130310000835/http://aeon.sro.wa.gov.au/Investigator/Details/Agency_Detail.asp?Id=1200 . 10 March 2013 . dead .
8. Act to amend an Act entitled "An Act to Provide for the Protection and Management of the Aboriginal Natives of Victoria
9. http://hdl.handle.net/2328/23617 An Act to make provision for the better protection and control of the Aboriginal and Half-Caste Inhabitants of the State of South Australia (No.1048/1911)
10. http://hdl.handle.net/2328/24147 An Act to make Better Provision for the Care, Control, and Training of Aboriginal Children, for placing Aboriginal Children under the Control of the State Children's Council, to amend the Aborigines Act, 1911, and for other purposes (No.1565/1923)
11. http://hdl.handle.net/2328/25437 An Act to consolidate certain Acts relating to the protection and control of the aboriginal and half-caste inhabitants of South Australia (No.2154/1934)
12. News: Barrass . Tony . Victoria Laurie . From Terra Nullius to Noongar (in 'Long road home') . The Australian . 27 September 2006 . 23 July 2020.
13. http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/sa/num_act/aaa45o1962198/ An Act to repeal the Aborigines Act, 1934-1939, and to promote the welfare and advancement of Aborigines and of persons of Aboriginal blood in South Australia and for other purposes (No.45/1962)
14. http://www.daa.nsw.gov.au/about/history.html Aboriginal Affairs in NSW: A Short History, NSW Department of Aboriginal Affairs, accessed 20 March 2008
15. http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/nta1993147/ Native Title Act 1993
16. http://www.aph.gov.au/Library/Pubs/BD/1996-97/97bd050.htm Bills Digest 50 1996-97, Hindmarsh Island Bridge Bill 1996, Australian Parliamentary Library
17. See Hindmarsh Island bridge controversy
18. http://www.comlaw.gov.au/ComLaw/Legislation/ActCompilation1.nsf/0/848E521B87E30AEECA256FC40014B2EB/$file/NativeTitleAmend1998.pdf Native Title Amendment Act 1998
19. [Ted Mullighan]
20. http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/vic/consol_act/aha2006164/ Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006
21. http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/num_act/ntnera2007531/ Northern Territory National Emergency Response Act 2007 (No. 129, 2007)