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former reserves which had received deeds of
grant in trust in 1982 under the Land Act
(Aboriginal and Islander Land Grants) Amendment Act
1982 (DOGIT)
This Act enabled, for the first time, Aboriginal
people to have some title to land and a degree of
self-management. It is during the 1970s and
1980s that the philosophy of ‘self
management and self determination’ became
a political and economic goal for Aboriginal
people to pursue.
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Aurukun and Mornington Island had been
Presbyterian missions and when the Queensland
Government tried to take over control in 1978,
they resisted strongly. The Queensland
Government abolished their reserve status, made
them mainstream local governments under the
Local Government (Aboriginal Lands) Act, and gave
them 50 year leases.
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6
Queensland, Parliament, Department of Aboriginal and
Island Affairs Annual Report, 1968, Parliamentary Paper 1102,
Brisbane.
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The Community Services (Aborigines) Act 1984 and
Community Services (Torres Strait Islanders) Act 1984
were the next legislative change for Aboriginal
peoples giving local government status to
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In 1978 the word ‘assimilation’ was dropped in
favour of ‘integration’ which was based on a
philosophy that it’s O.K. to be ‘different’ and
it was a precursor for the acceptance of
multiculturalism. However, the substance of
Queensland Government Aboriginal affairs
policy was unchanged.
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It was planned to abolish the reserves eventually.
They would become like any other township in
Queensland.6 In 1971, the first formal
recognition that Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander cultures are actually quite distinct and
separate was reflected by the passing of the
QueenslandAboriginesAct1971andQueenslandTorres
Strait Islanders Act 1971 which replaced earlier
legislation. Only minimal changes were made to
these Acts in 1974, 1975 and 1979 despite
human rights infringements and the passage of
the federal Racial Discrimination Act 1975.
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Aboriginal history continued
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1
12
D e p a r t m e n t o f A b o r i g i n a l and T o r r e s S t r a i t I s l a n d e r P o l i c y a n d D e v e l o p m e n t