The Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders Advancement League, (CATSIAL), also referred to as the Cairns Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders Advancement League or Cairns Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advancement League, and Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders Advancement League (Cairns), was an Indigenous rights organisation founded in

Cairns Cairns (, ) is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population in June 2019 was 153,952, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-p ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

in January 1960. It existed until the late 1970s. CATSIAL joined the national body, the

Federal Council for Aboriginal Advancement The Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders (FCAATSI), founded in Adelaide, South Australia, as the Federal Council for Aboriginal Advancement (FCAA) on 16 February 1958, was a civil rights organisation whic ...

(FCAA), soon after its establishment. It had an office in Townsville as well, and was associated with the Queensland Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders (QCAATSI) based in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

, which was also part of the FCAA. The organisation was unusual in that both the membership and executive consisted mostly of

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

people, whereas similar organisations in other states in the 1950s consisted mostly of

Anglo-Australian English Australians, also known as Anglo-Australians, are Australians whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in England. In the 2021 census, 8,385,928 people, or 33% of the Australian population, stated that they had English ancestry (wheth ...

s, but the relationships between CATSIAL and the other groups grew strong nonetheless. Gladys O'Shane was president of the League.

Joe McGinness Joseph Daniel McGinness (1914–2003), known as "Uncle Joe'", was an Aboriginal Australian activist and the first Aboriginal president of the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders (FCAATSI). Early life a ...

was secretary from 1958 to 1967, and also became president of the FCAA (later FCAATSI). Because of this connection, CATSIAL became active in the federal movement, initiating campaigns such as that against the Queensland legislation relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Most of the active members of the League were also members of the

Communist Party of Australia The Communist Party of Australia (CPA), known as the Australian Communist Party (ACP) from 1944 to 1951, was an Australian political party founded in 1920. The party existed until roughly 1991, with its membership and influence having been i ...

(CPA), similar to the sister organisation in Victoria, the

Council for Aboriginal Rights The Council for Aboriginal Rights (CAR) was founded in Melbourne in 1951 in order to improve rights for Indigenous Australians. Although based in the state of Victoria, it was a national organisation and its influence was felt throughout Australi ...

(CAR), as the CPA was the only

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...

in Australia that had developed a policy on

Aboriginal Australians Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...

. The Cairns Trades and Labour Council, the

Union of Australian Women The Union of Australian Women (UAW) is a left-wing women's organisation concerned with local and international issues regarding women's rights, international peace and equality. The UAW was established in Sydney on 31 July 1950 in New South Wal ...

and the Waterside Workers' Federation all supported the League both morally and financially.

Trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

ists and CPA members assisted CATSIAL with their work. The league fought to establish recognition of the fact that Aboriginal people were the original owners of the land, and also recognition as full citizens of Australia. The league's first success was getting a taxi driver who had been sacked on racial grounds reinstated, with the assistance of the local Trades and Labour Council. The Queensland group kept close ties with the CAR activists such as Shirley Andrews,

Stan Davey Stan or STAN may refer to: People * Stan (given name), a list of people with the given name ** Stan Laurel (1890–1965), English comic actor, part of duo Laurel and Hardy * Stan (surname), a Romanian surname * Stan! (born 1964), American author, ...

Pauline Pickford Pauline may refer to: Religion *An adjective referring to St Paul the Apostle or a follower of his doctrines *An adjective referring to St Paul of Thebes, also called St Paul the First Hermit *An adjective referring to the Paulines, various reli ...

, and

Barry Christophers Barry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Barry (name), including lists of people with the given name, nickname or surname, as well as fictional characters with the given name * Dancing Barry, stage name of Barry Richards (born c. 19 ...

, in particular during and after their involvement with the case concerning the Cape Bedford Mission at

Hope Vale Hope Vale (also known as Hopevale) is a town within the Aboriginal Shire of Hope Vale and a coastal locality split between the Aboriginal Shire of Hope Vale and the Shire of Cook, both in Queensland, Australia. It is an Aboriginal community. I ...

in 1961. Some of the targets of the League's campaigns apart from Hope Vale were: Queensland legislation which still discriminated against Indigenous people (the '' Aborigines’ and Torres Strait Islanders’ Affairs Act 1965'' and its 1971 successors),

police brutality Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, but is not limited to, ...

(especially in

Mareeba Mareeba is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Mareeba in Far North Queensland, Australia. Between 2008 and 2013, it was within the Tablelands Region. The town's name is derived from an Aboriginal word meaning ''meeting of the waters'' ...

and Mossman), the

1967 referendum The 1967 Australian referendum occurred on 27 May 1967 under the Holt Government. It contained three topics asked about in two questions, regarding the passage of two bills to alter the Australian Constitution. The first question (''Constitution ...

, educational opportunities, employment matters (including equal wages), and benefits for Torres Strait Islander

ex-servicemen A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military. A military veteran that has ...

References

{{reflist Indigenous rights organizations 1960 establishments in Australia Defunct organisations serving Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australian politics Cairns, Queensland