Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders Advancement League facts for kids
The Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders Advancement League (CATSIAL) was an important group that worked for the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It started in Cairns, Queensland in January 1960 and continued its work until the late 1970s.
CATSIAL quickly joined a bigger national group called the Federal Council for Aboriginal Advancement (FCAA). CATSIAL also had an office in Townsville. It worked closely with the Queensland Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders (QCAATSI) in Brisbane, which was also part of the FCAA. CATSIAL was special because most of its members and leaders were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This was different from other similar groups in the 1950s, which were often led by non-Indigenous people. Even so, CATSIAL built strong connections with these other groups.
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Leaders and Their Work
Gladys O'Shane was the president of the League. Joe McGinness was the secretary from 1958 to 1967. He also became the president of the FCAA, the larger national group. Because of Joe McGinness's role, CATSIAL became very active in national efforts to help Indigenous people. They started campaigns against unfair laws in Queensland that affected Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Supporters of the League
Many active members of CATSIAL were also part of the Communist Party of Australia (CPA). At that time, the CPA was one of the few political parties in Australia that had a clear plan to support Aboriginal people. Other groups also helped CATSIAL. The Cairns Trades and Labour Council, the Union of Australian Women, and the Waterside Workers' Federation all gave the League support and money. Trade union members and CPA members helped CATSIAL with their important work.
Fighting for Rights
The League worked hard to make sure people understood that Aboriginal people were the first owners of the land. They also fought for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to be recognized as full citizens of Australia. One of their first successes was helping a taxi driver who had been fired because of his race. With help from the local Trades and Labour Council, the driver got his job back.
Working with Other Groups
The Queensland group stayed in close contact with activists from the Council for Aboriginal Rights (CAR) in Victoria. These activists included Shirley Andrews, Stan Davey, Pauline Pickford, and Barry Christophers. They worked together, especially during and after a case involving the Cape Bedford Mission at Hope Vale in 1961.
Key Campaigns
CATSIAL campaigned on many important issues. Some of their main goals included:
- Changing unfair Queensland laws that treated Indigenous people differently, such as the Aborigines’ and Torres Strait Islanders’ Affairs Act 1965 and later versions.
- Stopping unfair treatment by police, especially in places like Mareeba and Mossman.
- Supporting the 1967 referendum, which aimed to give the Australian government more power to make laws for Aboriginal people and include them in the national census.
- Improving chances for Indigenous children to get a good education.
- Making sure Indigenous people had fair jobs and equal pay.
- Getting proper benefits for Torres Strait Islander ex-servicemen who had served in the military.
