How did British settlement affect Aboriginal peoples in New South Wales?

British settlement in New South Wales had a devastating impact on Aboriginal peoples, characterized by dispossession, violence, and systemic discrimination.12

As pastoral expansion pushed the boundaries of settlement, competition for resources and the introduction of disease severely affected Indigenous communities. This expansion was met with resistance, such as that led by Pemulwuy, resulting in violent clashes where large numbers of Aboriginal people were killed. Although colonial governors often maintained that Aboriginal people should be treated as British subjects, they faced increasing racism. Legal protections were largely ineffective, and acts of violence—including massacres, poisonings, and forced dispersals—frequently went unpunished.21

In the 20th century, state policies further harmed Indigenous families. Under the authority of the Aborigines Protection Board, the government forcibly removed thousands of children of mixed descent from their parents to facilitate assimilation. These children, known as the Stolen Generations, were placed in institutions for labor training. In 1938, Aboriginal activists marked the sesquicentennial of European settlement as a "Day of Mourning," a protest that continues annually.3