Reformatory schools and Whiteness in danger: An Australian case

Abstract

The Queensland Reformatory and Industrial Schools Act (1865) provided for the creation of a system of reformatory and industrial schools. This article explores the early years of the reformatory for boys. The Act defined Aboriginal children as ‘neglected’ and eligible to be sent to this institution. However, of the first 1000 children admitted, all but 33 were White. This article explores this contradiction through an analysis of the reformatory in light of fears about the fragility of Whiteness in Queensland’s climate.