How did the Native Mounted Police and private settlers affect Indigenous peoples in 19th-century Queensland?

During the 19th century, Queensland was characterized by a rapacious frontier that had devastating consequences for Indigenous peoples. The Native Mounted Police, established in 1848, operated alongside private settlers to carry out widespread violence, resulting in the deaths of thousands of Indigenous Australians.12

This systemic violence was followed by policies of forced displacement. In 1897, the government enacted provisions to forcibly remove Aboriginal people to government-controlled reserves, establishing a system of de facto racial segregation. These reserves remained under strict government authority for nearly a century, until they were finally transferred to Aboriginal councils in 1985.12