Queensland Aboriginal Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act allows the Chief Protector to remove Aboriginal people onto and between reserves and hold children in dormitories. From 1939 until 1971 this power is held by the Director of Native Welfare; the Director is the legal guardian of all Aboriginal children, whether or not their parents are living, until 1965. The legislation is subsequently imitated by South Australia and the Northern Territory.
Under the legislation, Aboriginal people are effectively confined to reserves and banned from towns. Reserves are administered by government agencies or missionaries and every aspect of life is controlled, including the right to marry, guardianship of children, the right to work outside reserves, and management of assets.
Western Australia introduces Dictation Test on the model of the 1897 Natal Immigration Restriction Act used in South Africa as a means of excluding non-European immigration. This is followed by New South Wales (1898), Tasmania (1899) and then by the Commonwealth (1901).
