The 'Stolen Generation' - Finding A Fiduciary Duty

[1] Brian, born 1921, 'taken away' aged 3 to 4 years. Cited from After The Removal, (Western Australia : Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia (Inc), 1996), Prepared by T. Buti, 33.

[2] Marilyn, born 1945, taken away, aged six years. Cited from Telling Our Story - A Report By The Aboriginal Legal Service Of WA (Inc) On The Removal Of Aboriginal Children From Their Families In Western Australia, (Western Australia : Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia (Inc), 1995), 4.

[3] Beherendt, J, "Fiduciary Obligations and Native Title" (1993) 63 Aboriginal Law Bulletin, 7.

[4] Batley, P, "The States Fiduciary Duty to Stolen Children" (1996) 2 (2) Australian Journal of Human Rights.

[5] Hon Mr Justice Owen, "The State as a Fiduciary", (1996) Law Society Of WA (Inc) Seminar On The Recent Developments In The Law Of Fiduciary Obligations, Law Society of Western Australia (Inc), Perth, 1.

[6] Gautreau, JRM, "Demystifying the Fiduciary Mystique" (1989) 68 Canadian Bar Review, 1.

[7] Hospital Products Ltd v United States Surgical Corporation (1984) 156 CLR 41, at 96 per Mason J. cf English v Dedham Vale Properties Ltd. [1978] 1 WLR 93, at 110. Cited in Batley, above, note 4 (footnote 35).

[8] Tan, D, "The Fiduciary as an Accordion Term: Can The State Play a Different Tune?" (1995) 69 Australian Law Journal, 440.

[9] Hospital Products Ltd v United States Surgical Corporation (1984) 156 CLR 41, cited in Bartlett, R, "A Fiduciary obligation respecting the delivery of services to the Aboriginal communities", Australiasian Law Teacher's Association, Cross Currents: Internationalism, National Identity And The Law, 1995 (footnote 1).

[10] [1987] 2 SCR 790, cited in Bartlett, above, note 9 (footnote 2).

[11] [1911] 1 Ch 723, cited in Gautreau, above, note 6, at 16.

[12] Shepherd, JC, "Towards a Unified Concept of Fiduciary Relationships" [1981] Law Quarterly Review, 79.

[13] Shepherd, JC, The Law of Fidcuciaries (Toronto:Carswel Co Ltd, 1981), 29.

[14] Id, at 109.

[15] Williams v Minister, Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983. (1994) 35 NSWLR at 511.

[16] Aborigines Act 1905, s 12.

[17] Bartlett, above, note 9 (in between footnote 7 & 8).

[18] M(K) v M(H), (1993) 96 DLR (4th) 289, La Forest J at 325.

[19] Per Wilson J in Frame v Smith, cited in M(K) v H(K), above, note 19, per La Forest J at 325.

[20] Williams v Minister, Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983, cited in Bartlett, above, note 9, (after footnote 63).

[21] Mason, A, "The Place of Equity and Equitable Remedies in the Contemporary Common Law World" (1994) 110 Law Quarterly Review, 247 Mason J cites Norberg v Wynrib (1992) 92 DLR (4th) 449.

[22] Per Toohey J in Mabo, (1992) 175 CLR 1, Cited Tan, above, note 8 , 447.

[23] Id, 448.

[24] Teele, R, "The Search for a Fiduciary Principle: A Rescue Operation" (1996), 24 Australian Business Law Review, 112.

[25] "Bringing Them Home" National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (1997), 259.

[26] Telling Our Story, above, note 2, 182.

[27] Batley, above, note 4 (footnote 62).

[28] Id (in between 81 and 82).

[29] Bringing Them Home, above, note 25, 260.

[30] Id.

[31] Teele, above, note 24, 111.

[32] Bartlett, above, note 9, ( footnote 60-61).

[33] Id.

[34] Owen J, above, note 5, 23.

[35] Hospital Products Ltd (1984) 156 CLR 41, cited in Batley, note 4.

[36] Buti, T, "They Took the Children Away" (1995) 20 Alternative Law Journal 35 at 36.

[37] Id

[38] Id

[39] Sweeney, D "Broken Promises: Crown's Fiduciary Duty to Aboriginal Peoples" (1995) 3 Aboriginal Law Bulletin, 4 at 7

[40] Id

[41] Di Marco, L, "A Critique and Analysis of the Fiduciary Concept in Mabo v Queensland" (1994) 19 Melbourne University Law Review, 868 at 891

[42] Ibid, 892

[43] Bartlett, above, note 9, (inbetween footnotes 8 and 9)

[44] Id

[45] Id

[46] Godfrey, K, "The Lost Kooris" (1995) 20 Alternative Law Journal, 26 at 27

[47] Teele, above, note 24, 110

[48] Ibid, 112 & 110

[49] Batley, above, note 4, at footnote 84/85

[50] Per Fletcher Moulton LJ, in Re Coomber, cited in Gautreau, above, note 6, 16

[51] Bartlett, above, note 9 at footnote 92

[52] Sweeney, above, note 40, 7

[53] Telling Our Story, above, note 2, 184

Bartlett, R, "A Fiduciary obligation respecting the delivery of services to the Aboriginal communities", Australiasian Law Teacher's Association, Cross Currents: Internationalism, National Identity And The Law, 1995.

Batley, P, "The States Fiduciary Duty to Stolen Children" (1996) 2 (2) Australian Journal of Human Rights.

Beherendt, J, "Fiduciary Obligations and Native Title" (1993) 63 Aboriginal Law Bulletin, 7.

Bringing Them Home National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (1997).

Buti, T, (prep) After The Removal, (Western Australia : Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia (Inc), 1996).

Buti, T, "They Took the Children Away" (1995) 20 Alternative Law Journal 35

Cope, M (ed) Equity, Issues and Trusts (Annandale: The Federation Press, 1995) Ch 5.

Dorsett, S. "Apsassin v The Queen in Right of Canada" (1996) 3, 78 Aboriginal Law Bulletin, 7.

Di Marco, L, "A Critique and Analysis of the Fiduciary Concept in Mabo v Queensland" (1994) 19 Melbourne University Law Review, 868.

Gautreau, JRM, "Demystifying the Fiduciary Mystique" (1989) 68 Canadian Bar Review.

Godfrey, K, "The Lost Kooris" (1995) 20 Alternative Law Journal, 26.

Haebich, A "For Their Own Good - Aboriginals and the Government in the South West of Western Australia 1900-1940" (Nedlands : University of Western Australia Press, 1992).

Malbon, J. "The Fiduciary Duty: The Next Step For Aboriginal Rights?" (1994) 19, 2 Alternative Law Journal, 92.

Mason, A, "The Place of Equity and Equitable Remedies in the Contemporary Common Law World" (1994) 110 Law Quarterly Review, 247.

Merkel, R, "Government Culpability - For the Forced Removal of Aboriginal Children From Their Families" (1990) 2, 47 Aboriginal Law Bulletin, 4.

Merkel, R, "The Long Road Home - The Going Home Confererence 1994" Extract of speech made to the conference, 12.

McHugh, PG "The Role of Law in Maori Claims" (1990) New Zealand Law Journal, 16.

Owen, Hon J, "The State as a Fiduciary", (1996) Law Society Of WA (Inc) Seminar On The Recent Developments In The Law Of Fiduciary Obligations, Law Society of Western Australia (Inc), Perth, 1.

Shepherd, JC, The Law of Fiduciaries (Toronto:Carswel Co Ltd, 1981), 29.

Shepherd, JC, "Towards a Unified Concept of Fiduciary Relationships" (1981) 97, Law Quarterly Review, 51.

Sweeney, D "Broken Promises: Crown's Fiduciary Duty to Aboriginal Peoples" (1995) 3 Aboriginal Law Bulletin, 4.

Tan, D, "The Fiduciary as an Accordion Term: Can The State Play a Different Tune?" (1995) 69 Australian Law Journal, 440.

Teele, R, "The Search for a Fiduciary Principle: A Rescue Operation" (1996), 24 Australian Business Law Review, 112.

Telling Our Story A Report By The Aboriginal Legal Service Of WA (Inc) On The Removal Of Aboriginal Children From Their Families In Western Australia, (Western Australia : Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia (Inc), 1995).

Youdan, TG, Equity, Fiduciaries and Trusts (Toronto : The Law Book.

Company, 1989).

Legislation and Cases.

Aborigines Act 1897 (WA).

Aborigines Act 1905 (WA).

Native Welfare Act 1954 (WA).

Child Welfare Act 1947 (WA).

Bennett v Minister of Community Welfare, (1992) 176 CLR 408.

M(K) v M(H), (1993) 96 DLR (4th) 289.

Williams v Minister, Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983. (1994) 35 NSWLR at 511.

Document author: Tim Hammond

Document creation: June, 1998

HTML last modified: June, 1998

Modified by: Tim Gibson, Technical Editor, E Law

Authorised by: Archie Zariski, Managing Editor, E Law