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Documents - Social Service benefits, 1954-64

'A great day for Beverley Joy', written by Estelle Sharpe (daughter of the missionaries at Kurrawang), extols the benefits of assimilation into white society provided by mission education.

'A great day for Beverley Joy', chosen to present flowers to the Queen

Western Mail, 18 March 1954

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Norman Bilson (Wangkai name WALARU), Alec Bilson's younger brother, dictated a letter to the Native Welfare Officer in Kalgoorlie, to apply for an Age Pension on 23 November 1959. The District Officer replied on 8 June 1960: 'Norman Bilson is not 70 years of age as stated by Mrs Bennett and is not yet old enough for the Age Pension. He is engaged at pastoral work.'

Norman Bilson to Native Welfare Officer in Kalgoorlie, 23 November 1959

Box 12/6, Council for Aboriginal Rights (Vic.) Papers, MS 12913, State Library of Victoria

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People such as Norman Bilson who, as children, had no access to Australian education, depended on others to write their applications for social service benefits.

Mary Bennett applying, on behalf of Norman Bilson, for the old age pension, 2 November 1960

Box 12/6, Council for Aboriginal Rights (Vic.) Papers, MS 12913, State Libary of Victoria

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Mary Bennett represented the needs of people such as the Bilsons who were eligible for the old age pension but were unable to write their own applications as they had no opportunity to gain an education.

Mary Bennett's statements in support of Alec and Lulu Bilson's pension applications

Council for Aboriginal Rights, MS 12913, State Library of Victoria

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Page 1 of 2 One of many letters written by Mary Bennett to assist Aboriginal people, often illiterate, in the almost impossible task of communicating with bureaucrats who were preventing Aboriginal access to social service benefits.

Letter to help a pensioner control her own money

Box 4, Council for Aboriginal Rights (Vic.) Papers, State Library of Victoria

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Shirley Andrews explained that, despite the removal of most of the exclusions from the <em>Social Services Act</em>, Aboriginal people were still denied benefits.

'Social Service benefits still denied' by Shirley Andrews

Smoke Signals, March 1961

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Page 1 of 5 'The Australian Aborigines: a summary of their situation in all states in 1962', prepared by Shirley Andrews, campaign organiser, Federal Council for Aboriginal Advancement.

'The Australian Aborigines: a summary of their situation in all states in 1962'

Box 3/4, Council for Aboriginal Rights (Vic.), Papers, MS 12913, State Library of Victoria

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Page 1 of 4 This leaflet was written to inform Aboriginal Australians of their entitlements to social service benefits and how to access them. No Government explanation existed at the time.

Yinjilli Leaflet: Social Services for Aborigines, Shirley Andrews and Rodney Hall, 1963

Council for Aboriginal Rights, MS 12913, State Library of Victoria

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An article by Barry Christophers about discrimination against Aborigines in the <em>Tuberculosis Act 1948</em>.

'Discrimination in an unexpected quarter'

Smoke Signals, January 1964

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Faith Bandler wrote this letter protesting the discriminatory determination under the <em>Tuberculosis Act 1948</em> that denied the Tuberculosis Allowance to Aborigines.

Faith Bandler to the Australian Medical Association, 18 February 1964

Australian Medical Association Papers, Canberra

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The Director-General of Health supports the proposal to remove the racially discriminatory clauses in the determination on the Tuberculosis Allowance made under the <em>Tuberculosis Act 1948</em>.

Director-General of Health to Australian Medical Association, December 1964

Australian Medical Association papers, Canberra

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