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The Bishop of Carpentaria and the Torres Strait pearlers' strike of 1936

Wetherell, David 2004, The Bishop of Carpentaria and the Torres Strait pearlers' strike of 1936, Journal of pacific history, vol. 39, no. 2, pp. 185-202.

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Title The Bishop of Carpentaria and the Torres Strait pearlers' strike of 1936
Author(s) Wetherell, David
Journal name Journal of pacific history
Volume number 39
Issue number 2
Start page 185
End page 202
Publisher Routledge
Place of publication London, England
Publication date 2004-01
ISSN 0022-3344
1469-9605
Summary The exploitation of Islander pearl divers in Torres Strait and the Queensland Government's control of divers' wages was the major cause of a strike by 400 divers in 1936. The strike was also fuelled by overall discontent with the Queensland Government's rule and a desire to be free of the Queensland Protectors. An address in 1935 by Stephen Davies, Bishop of Carpentaria, urging the Commonwealth of Australia to strip Queensland and other states of management of Island and Aboriginal affairs provided the catalyst. Davies's Torres Strait Island clergy played a pivotal role in the resistance to state control. One lasting effect of the strike lay in the introduction of elected Islander councils in 1937, but what happened subsequently allowed the perpetuation of Queensland control through the new Department of Native Affairs. The results of the strike fell short of the complete transfer to the Commonwealth that the Torres Strait pearl divers and clergy had envisaged.
Language eng
Field of Research 210399 Historical Studies not elsewhere classified
HERDC Research category C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal
Copyright notice ©2004, The Journal of Pacific History Inc.
Persistent URL http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30002535

Document type: Journal Article
Collection: School of Australian and International Studies
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