Perth Prohibited Area
The Perth Prohibited Area was a designated region in and around the Australian city of Perth that, from 1927 to 1954, was off-limits to Aboriginal Australians unless they obtained special permission. This area was established under the 1905 Aborigines Protection Act, driven by Auber Octavius Neville, the Chief Protector of Aborigines, who sought to control the movement of Aboriginal people due to concerns over intermarriage and perceived threats to their existence. Aboriginal individuals were required to carry a "Native Pass" to enter the area, with passes granted only for specific reasons such as employment. However, the ambiguous boundaries of the prohibited zone led to arbitrary enforcement and frequent arrests, which often resulted in Aboriginal people being detained for long periods. The Noongar community, located near Perth, was particularly affected, as many relied on access to the city for their livelihoods. Over time, growing scrutiny of the PPA highlighted its discriminatory nature, leading to its repeal in 1954 and restoring the rights of Aboriginal Australians to travel freely in Perth. This historical context underscores the challenges faced by Aboriginal communities during this period of institutional segregation and control.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Perth Prohibited Area
Perth Prohibited Area was a roughly defined section of land in and around the Australian town of Perth, which was, in the past, off-limits to Aboriginal Australians without special permission. The prohibited area was in place from 1927 through 1954. The discriminatory law required Aboriginal people to carry a “Native Pass” when they were in the designated area, and such passes were only issued for specific purposes, such as employment.
Background
The Perth Prohibited Area was initiated by Auber Octavius “A.O.” Neville. Neville held the title of Chief Protector of Aborigines from 1915 to 1936. Theoretically, the purpose of the office was intended to help preserve the Aboriginal people, who were said to be threatened with extinction because of intermarriage with White and other non-Aboriginal people. However, the Australian government was also using powers granted under the 1905 Aborigines Protection Act to control what the Aboriginal people could do, which sometimes included removing children from the care of their parents and restricting other Indigenous activities.
In early 1927, Neville began a campaign to stop Aboriginal people from visiting White City, an amusement park in Perth, as well as other places non-Aboriginal people frequented. On March 9, 1927, his efforts led to the announcement of a new Prohibited Area in Perth (PPA) under the auspices of the 1905 Aborigines Protection Act. The law was publicized in the local paper.
Overview
Under the terms of the Perth Prohibited Area (PPA), no Aboriginal person was allowed to be in the designated area without specific permission. After a time, a system of passes was instituted called Native Passes, and Aboriginal people were required to present that pass on demand when in the PPA. The system was problematic, however, because the 1927 proclamation that established the PPA did not define its boundaries. This allowed confusion as to where Indigenous people could be and subjected them to random acts of enforcement, often in abusive and discriminatory ways.
Those who were found in the designated area without a permit—and sometimes with one—were subject to arrest. Violators could be held in prison for days or weeks simply for being in the area. The Indigenous people most affected by the PPA were the Noongar people, who lived closest to the area. Many of them were employed in Perth or in areas that required them to go through the PPA to reach their employment.
Arrests were frequent; figures from late in the PPA period show that during just over six months between 1949 and 1950, seventy-eight Aboriginal people were arrested in the zone. Many were arrested more than once. Often, they were charged with other crimes, such as being publicly intoxicated.
By 1947, the PPA was beginning to come under additional government scrutiny. The very loose boundaries for the area were examined because they impacted enforcement and funding. More guidance was given for the boundaries, and the area was reduced to make enforcement more practical. Despite this, the PPA remained a subject of intensifying scrutiny. In 1954, it was finally overturned as discriminatory and segregationist, and Aboriginal people once again had the legal right to travel through Perth at will.
Bibliography
“About.” Perth Prohibited Area, perthprohibitedarea.com/about. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
Carmody, Rebecca. “The Little-Known Story of When Perth Banned Indigenous People from the City and Suburbs.” ABC News Australia, 28 Dec. 2019, www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-29/when-perth-banned-aboriginal-people-from-the-city/11818540. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
Haebich, A., and R. H. W. Reece. “Auber Octavius Neville (1875–1954).” Australian Dictionary of Biography, adb.anu.edu.au/biography/neville-auber-octavius-7821. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
Johnson, Louise C., Tanja Luckins, and David Walker. The Story of Australia: A New History of People and Places. Routledge, 2022.
Macintyre, Stuart. A Concise History of Australia, 2nd ed., Cambridge University Press, 2004.
“Perth’s Prohibited Area.” Government of Western Australia, culture.wa.gov.au/feature/perths-prohibited-area. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
“Prohibited Area Map.” Kaartdijin Noongar—Noongar Knowledge, www.noongarculture.org.au/prohibited-area-map. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.