Guest blogger: Gregory Cope, National Archives of Australia

The National Archives of Australia has digitised and made available online a petition originated by the Pacific Islanders’ Association in Mackay in 1906.
The petition is addressed to the Prime Minister of Australia, Alfred Deakin in 1906.
The object of the petition is to emphasis the injustice that will be done to the Petitioners and other Pacific Islanders if the Government of the Commonwealth insists upon the deportation of all Pacific Islanders.

Pacific Islanders petition

Name / Name of Island /State (marital status) / No. of dependants/ Married to /Engaged at present as/ For whom / Age / No. of years in Australia.

There are 426 names on the petition.

The petition can be viewed online via the National Archives of Australia website
Go the collection and search: http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/search/index.aspx
If searching as a guest enter the words: Pacific Islanders Petition
And that will bring you to the document in RecordSearch and you can view the digital copy (see icon right hand side of page)

The document consists of 57 pages.

Gregory Cope - Director, National Archives of Australia, Brisbane Office