Aborigines Progressive Association

Australian organization

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July 21, 2026

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The Aborigines Progressive Association (APA) was an Australian organization founded in 1937 by William Ferguson to advocate for the rights of Indigenous Australians. The APA aimed to achieve citizenship and other rights for Aboriginal people and to abolish the Aborigines Protection Board, a government body that controlled many aspects of Aboriginal lives.1

Ferguson, a prominent activist, co-organized the 1938 Day of Mourning protest on Australia Day to highlight the mistreatment of Aboriginal peoples since colonization. The association also published a pamphlet titled Aborigines Claim Citizen Rights!. Although Ferguson later served on the reconstituted Aborigines Welfare Board, he saw only minor policy changes before leaving politics.1

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William Ferguson
The Aborigines Protection Board, the Aborigines Progressive Association, and the Day of Mourning
…began fighting back, founding the Aborigines Progressive Association (APA) in 1937 to organize the political struggle for Aboriginal rights. The association’s main goals were to achieve citizenship and other rights for Aboriginal people and to do away with the Aborigines Protection Board.
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…began fighting back, founding the Aborigines Progressive Association (APA) in 1937 to organize the political struggle for Aboriginal rights. The association’s main goals were to achieve citizenship and other rights for Aboriginal people and to do away with the Aborigines Protection Board.
Read More