Government Protection Policy

The government policy of protection was introduced between the 1890’s and 1940’s. All states and territories had their own version of the policy except for Tasmania which didn’t have one at all. Due to violence and harassment causing a dramatic drop in the aboriginal population the government introduced these policy’s to “protect” them. They believed that the aboriginal race was a dying race and needed help to bring the numbers back up so to do this they put them under “protection” of the government. They were moved from their traditional lands and lost their culture, language, family and identity in order to be “protected”. But in doing so the government almost exterminated the whole aboriginal race. ‘In 1788 there were approximately 250,000 …show more content…
Protection boards were placed in the states and territories. There was a Chief Protector who was in charge of particular areas in the country. The protection act issued by the government didn’t only majorly impact their lives then, but also now. The many years the protection act was operating the aborigines went from being able to live their life and be free to being controlled by someone who took over their land. The government knew that they needed to up their game and knew that it wasn’t working so they substituted the protection policy for the assimilation policy.
Between 1940 and 1960 the government policy for assimilation was ordered. Paul Hasluck the federal minister for territories introduced the idea because the protection policy was clearly failing. It was ordered to raise the standards of living for the aboriginal people to help improve their lifestyle and make them think and act like white people. Instead of being segregated from the white people they were now to live like white people. The aborigines were moved from missions and reserves to towns in order for the assimilation policy to be achieved. But they found it hard to fit into the white