I aim to collect local accounts if possible.  To summarise, I'll quote from John Gardiner-Garden, Social Policy Group Research Paper 29 June 1999, speaking about all Australian Aboriginal people.   "The first century and a half of European-Aboriginal relations in Australia can be characterised as a period of dispossession, physical ill-treatment, social disruption, population decline, economic exploitation, codified discrimination, and cultural devastation. The notional citizenship ascribed to the Aboriginal people at the beginning of this period was all but gone by the end of it, and as if to illustrate this point, in every State the law specifically sanctioned the removal of Aboriginal children from their parents. The aim of such removals was to separate 'full-bloods' from the 'half-castes', curb indigenous reproduction (girls being especially targeted for removal), provide a cheap source of labour and facilitate the Christianising of the indigenous population.

 

"By mid-20th century the laws intended for the 'protection' or 'welfare' of Aboriginals became laws which oppressed and alienated indigenous people.  Commonwealth legislation was no exception. Throughout the period of assimilation Commonwealth legislation supported discrimination against Aboriginal people in such areas as voting rights, wage entitlements and social security eligibility.  Indeed, it was not until 1966 that the Commonwealth extended social security eligibility to all indigenous Australians."  

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In 1897 Queensland passed the Aboriginal Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act by which the traditional owners of lands were forced to live on reserves and State protectors were appointed to oversee the running of Aboriginal people.  All Aboriginal people were subject to arbitrary removal.