Rebecca Barrigos
For most of the twentieth century, Indigenous people in Queensland were subject to total control by the government. Crucial to this were the missions and settlements upon which the majority were forced to reside, not only restricting the movement of Aboriginal peoples but also laying the basis for slave labour upon which industries central to the development of the capitalist economy of Queensland, like the pastoral industry, were built. This session will examine the history of Queensland’s stolen Indigenous wages, and the fight that persists today for justice for these workers and their families.