The Moseley Royal Commission, officially titled the ''Royal Commission Appointed to Investigate, Report and Advise Upon Matters in Relation to the Condition and Treatment of Aborigines'' was a
Royal Commission established by the
Government of Western Australia
The Government of Western Australia, formally referred to as His Majesty's Government of Western Australia, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of Western Australia. It is also commonly referred to as the WA Government o ...
in 1934 to hear evidence regarding the treatment of
Aboriginal people
Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...
.
A. O. Neville
The Royal Commission was set up to examine proposals to extend the powers of
A. O. Neville
Auber Octavius Neville (20 November 1875 – 18 April 1954) was a British-Australian public servant, notably Chief Protector of Aborigines, in Western Australia.
Early life
Born in Northumberland, England, Neville emigrated to Victoria, ...
, the "
Chief Protector of Aborigines
The role of Protector of Aborigines was first established in South Australia in 1836.
The role became established in other parts of Australia pursuant to a recommendation contained in the ''Report of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Abori ...
", and the social policy of removal of children from their parents. Agitation by critics, and the resulting media coverage in London, and locally, had drawn attention to the Native Administration Act 1905–1936 (WA) Amendment (1911), and to actions by Neville.
A series of submissions detailed accusations of child slavery, abuse and mistreatment, and evidence was given by mothers of children who had been removed from them. The commission produced a report citing problems with the current policy, but concluded that the recommendations of Neville be followed.
See also
*
Stolen Generations
The Stolen Generations (also known as Stolen Children) were the children of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent who were removed from their families by the Australian federal and state government agencies and church miss ...
Notes
References
*
Further reading
* Zalums, E (Elmar) and Stafford. H. (1980) ''A bibliography of Western Australian Royal Commissions, select committees of parliament and boards of inquiry, 1870-1979'' Blackwood, S. Aust. E. Zalums & H. Stafford {{ISBN, 0-9594506-0-2
Moseley, Henry Doyle 1935, Report of the Royal Commissioner appointed to investigate, report, and advise upon matters in relation to the condition and treatment of Aborigines
History of Western Australia
Royal commissions in Western Australia
Organisations serving Indigenous Australians
Department of Aboriginal Affairs (Western Australia)
Stolen Generations
1934 establishments in Australia
1930s in Western Australia