New Northern Territory Ordinances 1953

In 1953 the Aboriginals Ordinance was replaced by the Welfare Ordinance and the Wards Employment Ordinance.

These new laws were thinly disguised as race-neutral documents.

In theory,

• they would also apply to any white children made wards of the state;
• Aboriginals would no longer automatically be deemed wards of the state, only becoming wards if the state decided they needed help;
• Aboriginals who had merged with the modern world need no longer apply for an exemption in order to achieve the full benefits of Australian citizenship.