The name is absent

116

nor that used by all other State governments, nor
that which would necessarily be accepted by all
individuals of Aboriginal ancestry. The reason for
using the Western Australia’s government's
definition in this study is that for the person
in Western Australia so defined, the government
has Statutoryresponsibility (Schapper, 1970:155).

And again

The definition of 'Aboriginal' has varied from one
Commonwealth census to another and none is the same
as that used by the Department of Native Welfare of
the Government of Western Australia. The number of
Aborigines in Western Australia included in the 1966
census figure for the Aboriginal population refers
to those persons who described themselves 'as being
50 percenter more Aboriginal, or simply Aboriginal'.
For the Department of Native Welfare a 'native' is
any person with more than one fourth Aboriginal
blood (Schapper, 1970:157).

In the Northern Territory, at that time administered by South
Australia, between 1954 and 1972 anyone other than a 'full blood'
was classified as 'white*.

Stevens (1974), investigating Aborigines in the Northern
Territory cattle industry, noted the problems of employers and
welfare personnel in identifying employees as Aborigines.

While part of the confusion was due to the complexity of

to arbitrary categorisation.

Stevens (1974:11) gave the following account of the problems
encountered by the Commonwealth Arbitration Court when attempting
to identify workers in relation to a discussion on an application
for equality in wages.

Counsel for the Union: In case there is any ambiguity
about the use (of the term) 'white man' in this
connection it may be that (counsel for the employees)
and the witness are at cross purposes. In this district
a half-caste counts for these purposes as a white man.
Witness:   That is so, but this one was not a half-

caste (Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Commission,
no. 830d, 1965, p. 255).

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