Examining Australia’s secret history of Aboriginal population control

‘Too many Aboriginal babies’: Australia’s secret history of Aboriginal population control in the 1960s

Most Australians are now familiar with the Stolen Generations. But fewer people know that eugenic practices seeking to limit Aboriginal populations continued even in the second half of the 20th century.

A young girl holds an Aboriginal flag (Image: AAP/Rick Rycroft)

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article may contain images of deceased people. It contains mentions of the Stolen Generations, and policies using outdated and potentially offensive terminology when referring to First Nations peoples.

The 1967 referendum is celebrated for its promise that First Nations peoples of Australia would be counted. But when they were, many white experts decided the Aboriginal population was growing too fast — and took steps to stop this growth. This was eugenics in the late 20th century.

The costs were borne by Aboriginal women who faced covert government family-planning programs, designed ostensibly to promote “choice”, but ultimately to curb their fertility.

About the Authors

Laura Rademaker

Contributor

Laura Rademaker is an ARC DECRA research fellow. She is the author of Found in Translation: Many Meanings on a North Australian Mission on language and cross-cultural exchange at Christian missions to Aboriginal people, awarded the 2020 Hancock Prize.

Jakelin Troy

Contributor

Professor Jakelin Troy is Director of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research at the University of Sydney. Her research interest are currently focussed on documenting, describing and reviving Indigenous languages.

Julia Hurst

Contributor

Dr Julia Hurst has recently completed her PhD at ANU in Aboriginal History. Her Indigenous heritage crosses Dharawal and Darug land. She is a postdoctoral scholar in the Indigenous and Settler Relations Collaboration at the University of Melbourne.

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‘Too many Aboriginal babies’: Australia’s secret history of Aboriginal population control in the 1960s

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