Cecil Cook and the Remote Aborigines

Peter Ryan’s contribution in Quadrant, May 2013, “Aboriginal Questions”, is typically interesting and astute. He refers to Nicolas Rothwell’s suggestion (Australian, March 23) that the education and other standards of remote region Aborigines should be reported separately from all other Aborigines. Different policies, Rothwell suggests, are needed for remote-region Aborigines, whose standards are falling, whereas the majority of other Aborigines are doing much better.

Ryan refers to the observations of West Aust­ralian Aborigines by Paul Hasluck in the 1930s. When appointed Minister for Territories in 1951, Hasluck became responsible for the Commonwealth’s role to improve Aboriginal welfare in the Northern Territory.

Many policy proposals to improve Aboriginal health and welfare were prepared in the 1930s but most were not implemented because of the Commonwealth government’s limited funds and other, more pressing priorities. Arguably, these 1930s proposals are still relevant to…