The Dying Days of Segregation in Australia: Case Study Yarrabah

By Barbara Miller

For history buffs, politics and Aboriginal affairs enthusiasts, this book is an eye-opening look at Aboriginal Affairs in Australia and in the biggest former reserve in Queensland – Yarrabah near Cairns. It is a must on the shelves of history teachers, University lecturers, students and those who like to keep themselves informed. What is different about it is you hear from the voices of the Yarrabah people themselves, their worries, their hopes and dreams and their reaction to the crushing legislation that has affected their lives. It is an amazing insider view from a writer that is close to the action. It is painstakingly researched and has been endorsed by a litany of voices – Indigenous and academic.

The author interviewed Aboriginal people at a time of historic change in Queensland, the far north of Australia, which has been likened to the deep south of the USA. No this is not South Africa. Remarkably, this is Australia. Indigenous people had been segregated on reserves for nearly 100 years ostensibly to protect them from white settlement which was wiping them out. Indigenous people had to have permits to live on, leave or visit a reserve and could be removed to another reserve at the will of the white manager or police. They had to have permission to marry or work.

Despite the federal government passing the Racial Discrimination Act in 1975, the Queensland government refused to change. Even within Yarrabah there were white only and black only sections of the town. However in 1984, a near-fatal blow to segregation was struck and the Yarrabah reserve started on its way to self-government, still a long tortuous process. Indigenous peoples were not allowed to have ownership to the reserve areas. That too started to change in 1982-84 with the DOGIT legislation. This book examines the human rights abuses of the Queensland Aborigines Act and the legislation of 1984 that replaced it.

Now the author has returned to her subject and examined the last 30 years as she brings the topics of segregation, self-determination, local government and land rights up to date in 2016, visiting the historic Mabo and Wik native title cases and their aftermath. The case of Yarrabah is put into national context as the author examines the dying days of segregation in Australia.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Barbara Miller
• Release date: Sep 26, 2016
• ISBN: 9780995369122

Barbara Miller

Barbara Joyce Miller, historian, researcher and sociologist co-founded, with her husband Norman, the Centre for International Reconciliation and Peace in 1996. She has been recognized by Worldwide Who’s Who for showing dedication, leadership and excellence in humanitarian affairs. She lives in Cairns, Australia with her husband Norman and son Michael. Barbara is very passionate about Aboriginal advancement, and liaises with religious and other communities worldwide through the Centre for International Reconciliation and Peace, which provides services focused on healing the wounds of history and reconciliation between people groups. With her husband, Norman, she pastors the Tabernacle of David congregation and she leads groups of Australians to Israel for Christian conferences and prayer tours. Barbara has 40 years of professional experience not only in Aboriginal affairs, but also as a psychologist and mediator. She has her own business - Mediation Works Qld and is an expert in mediating workplace and large scale community disputes and family law matters. Barbara is a motivated, inspiring teacher and counsellor who holds a postgraduate degree in sociology and a Bachelor of Arts with honours in psychology. As a social justice campaigner, she helped the Mapoon people north of Weipa move back to their land after being forcibly removed and she is presently writing a memoir on this experience. In the 90s, Barbara served as the CEO of the Aboriginal Coordinating Council through which she lobbied state and federal governments and wrote reports on topics such as native title, Indigenous resource management, local government, human rights, crime prevention in Aboriginal communities, health and deaths in custody. She has also authored various books and articles, including a book titled William Cooper, Gentle Warrior: Standing Up for Australian Aborigines and Persecuted Jews, 2012 and The European Quest to Find Terra Australis Incognita: Quiros, Torres and Janszoon 2014.

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