'In 1957, Ella Simon of Purfleet mission near Taree, New South Wales, applied for and was granted a certificate of exemption. Exemption gave her legal freedoms denied to other Indigenous Australians at that time: she could travel freely, open a bank account, and live and work where she wanted. In the eyes of the law she became a non-Aboriginal, but in return she could not associate with other Aboriginal people even her own family or community.
'It 'stank in my nostrils' - Ella Simon 1978.
'These personal and often painful histories uncovered in archives, family stories and lived experiences reveal new perspectives on exemption. Black, White and Exempt describes the resourcefulness of those who sought exemption to obtain freedom from hardship and oppressive regulation of their lives as Aboriginal Australians. It celebrates their resilience and explores how they negotiated exemption to protect their families and increase opportunities for them. The book also charts exemptees who struggled to advance Aboriginal rights, resist state control and abolish the exemption system.
'Contributions by Lucinda Aberdeen, Katherine Ellinghaus, Ashlen Francisco, Jessica Horton, Karen Hughes, Jennifer Jones, Beth Marsden, John Maynard, Kella Robinson, Leonie Stevens and Judi Wickes.' (Publication summary)
'Black, White and Exempt is an edited collection of insightful and innovative chapters, examining an underexplored aspect of the system that controlled Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for much of the twentieth century. Beginning with Queensland in 1897, state-based Protection regimes introduced exemption clauses into the Acts which enabled segregation and micro-management of Indigenous life. Under these clauses, Indigenous people could appeal to authorities to obtain a formal legal status which, in theory, allowed them to escape from racist prohibitions on access to public spaces and citizenship rights.' (Introduction)
'In the process of British colonisation, Aboriginal people lost their country, kin, culture, and languages. They also lost their freedom. Governed after 1901 by different state and territory laws, Aboriginal peoples were subject to the direction of Chief Protectors and Protection Boards, and were told where they could live, travel, and seek employment, and whom they might marry. They were also subject to the forced removal of their children by state authorities. Exemption certificates promised family safety, dignity, a choice of work, a passport to travel, and freedom. Too often, in practice, exemption also meant enhanced surveillance, family breakup, and new forms of racial discrimination and social segregation.' (Introduction)
'In the process of British colonisation, Aboriginal people lost their country, kin, culture, and languages. They also lost their freedom. Governed after 1901 by different state and territory laws, Aboriginal peoples were subject to the direction of Chief Protectors and Protection Boards, and were told where they could live, travel, and seek employment, and whom they might marry. They were also subject to the forced removal of their children by state authorities. Exemption certificates promised family safety, dignity, a choice of work, a passport to travel, and freedom. Too often, in practice, exemption also meant enhanced surveillance, family breakup, and new forms of racial discrimination and social segregation.' (Introduction)
'Black, White and Exempt is an edited collection of insightful and innovative chapters, examining an underexplored aspect of the system that controlled Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for much of the twentieth century. Beginning with Queensland in 1897, state-based Protection regimes introduced exemption clauses into the Acts which enabled segregation and micro-management of Indigenous life. Under these clauses, Indigenous people could appeal to authorities to obtain a formal legal status which, in theory, allowed them to escape from racist prohibitions on access to public spaces and citizenship rights.' (Introduction)
