In the first half of the 20th century, right up until the 1960s, the Australian government sought to create a single, uniform white Australian culture. This was pursued through assimilation policies, which had devastating effects on First Nations communities.

The 'Aboriginal Problem'

After colonisation, it was commonly thought that First Nations people in Australia would inevitably die out. However, the growing number of people of mixed race (at that time referred to by the derogatory term ‘half-cast’) soon made it clear that the ‘Aboriginal problem’ wasn’t going to disappear.