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Supporting land rights: public intellectuals

Anthropologists such as Bill Geddes and Bill Stanner wrote in academic journals and in daily newspapers in favour of land rights. Charles Rowley, principal of the Australian School of Pacific Administration, which trained welfare officers for work in Northern Australia and in New Guinea, developed the case for a system of land tenure for Aboriginal Australians in an article published in Oceania in 1962.

These writings were given a much wider readership when they were reprinted in On Aboriginal Affairs. A bi-monthly periodical edited by Ian Spalding, On Aboriginal Affairs brought information about Aboriginal issues together and disseminated it broadly amongst those interested in the position of Aboriginal Australians. Spalding's own editorials effectively synthesised key issues and their public debate. His editorial, 'Aboriginal land rights', pointed out the Australian failure, compared to other colonising countries, to consider this 'right'.

Aboriginal land rights editorial

Aboriginal land rights editorial

On Aboriginal Affairs, no. 7, March-April 1963

Download Aboriginal land rights editorial [PDF 1433kb]

Member for Fremantle Kim Beazley Snr raised land rights issues in Parliament in May 1973

Parliamentary speech on land rights, 1963

Commonwealth of Australia, Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), House of Representatives, 23 May 1963, pp. 1795-97

Download Parliamentary speech on land rights, 1963 [PDF 887kb]

Page 1 of 16 This issue contained a range of articles on land rights issues, both in Australia and overseas.

On Aboriginal Affairs, 1964

On Aboriginal Affairs, No. 12, July-August 1964

More info on On Aboriginal Affairs, 1964

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