During the early part of the 20th century laws were passed to protect Aboriginals.
This, however, involved restrictions on where they could live and work.
After World War II, integration became the government’s aim and attempts were made to 'Europeanise' them. During the 1960s, legislation was changed and the Federal Government passed laws for all Aboriginals to be given citizen status. In 1972, the native people were given back limited rights to their own land. The situation has steadily improved for Australia's native people, although more remains to be done.