How did the 1897 law change the lives of Aboriginal people in Queensland?

The 1897 law significantly altered the lives of Aboriginal people in Queensland by establishing a system of de facto segregation.12

Under this legislation, the government made provisions to forcibly remove Aboriginal Australians from their communities and relocate them to government-controlled reserves. These reserves were maintained under strict government authority for nearly a century, only being transferred to the control of Aboriginal councils in 1985. This policy was part of a broader movement toward the separation of white and Aboriginal communities, which was influenced by political tensions surrounding the labor market in the state's sugar and gold-mining regions.12