Study notes 7: Police work

Study

Investigation
What duties were the Native Police expected to perform on the goldfields?

What can be assumed about the regard in which the Native Police were held as a result of their being assigned these duties?

What were the rules and regulations on the goldfields?

How did the discovery of gold affect life in the Port Phillip District? What was its effect on the economic, social and cultural development of the colony?

What reasons contributed to the decline in numbers of the Native Police? Refer to Dana's report of 1852 (document xii) and his correspondence with La Trobe of 26 November 1851 (document xi). Compare Dana's accounts with those offered by documents x and xiii. Consider the different reasons that have been offered to explain problems retaining troopers in the Native Police Corps.

Reflection
Examine the images depicting aspects of life on the goldfields and compare them with both first-hand and secondary written accounts.

What activities are described?

How is life on the goldfields represented?

How is the role of the Native Police represented?

Extension/Research
Why do you think the voice of the Aboriginal people is missing from these written and visual accounts of the Native Police?

Compare the physical, social and cultural environment described in the pages of this onsite exhibition with the environment we live in now. Do you believe there is a role for an Indigenous police force today? (See links to some sites about Aboriginal justice on the Search/Documents page).

Explore the ways that justice and the law are perceived and applied in different societies and cultures, in particular in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. In what ways do these perceptions affect the relationship of these groups with our legal system? What are some of the effects of this? What are some of the ways that different groups have adapted the legal system to accommodate spiritual, cultural and religious beliefs?

Documents