A case study in the practice of social intervention: government intervention in Aboriginal affairs (Victoria) 1834-1972

© 1975 Phillip J. BoasThe study is of the social intervention programmes undertaken by government in the State of Victoria with respect to the original inhabitants of that territory, the Aborigines. The study describes selectively and briefly some early programmes from 1834 to 1957 noting the existence of value conflicts, the resulting dilemmas and the compromises which ultimately produced these programmes. It is argued that these programmes were at best only partially successful in resolving some of the dilemmas, and in so doing created new ones for the future. It is also argued that they were programmes not aimed at resolving the problems in social functioning which existed for the Aborigines but were designed to effect social control, the goal sought being the conversion of the Aborigines from their way to the European one. In 1957 the fragmentary residual administration could no longer cope with the problem and pressure groups forced a government enquiry subsequently referred to as the McLean report. As a result the Aborigines Welfare Board was established. The study examines in considerable detail the policy and programmes of this administration through selective use of a wide range of qualitative and quantitative processes, and it is argued that for such a study the data must relate to the problem. Some of the categories of data include the historical record, government files, public comment in the press, parliamentary debate, economic, statistical and demographic records. It is noted that the focus of this administration shifts to the individual Aboriginal person and family and expresses primary concern in resolving their problems of social functioning. For the first time professional social workers are employed. As an effective broad aim intervention programme the Aborigines Welfare Board programme suffered from a number of significant flaws, however, it recognised its inability to come to grips with the dimensions of the task as it had come to perceive them and took steps which led to new legislation in 1967. The study then makes an analysis, comparing and contrasting the Aborigines Welfare Board and the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs administrations and draws a limited number of conclusions in the form of hypotheses about broad-spectrum social intervention programmes. The total thus forms a case study in the practice of social intervention with more intensive study of the period 1957-72