Money matters

White station hands did not need cash. Quite often, they would get paid 6 months’ wages at a time, go to the nearest big town and blow the lot. Nonetheless, they understood the nature and purpose of money.

Never handling cash, Aboriginals developed little or no understanding of how money worked, how to budget, or the possibility of saving. Whatever they were given or took from the station store was charged to their account, at whatever price the station owner wanted to charge. Like many children exploited in third world countries today, Aboriginals might suddenly learn they were actually in debt: The longer they kept working, the bigger the debt.

Naturally, any Aboriginal could go to the store when they wanted something and just ‘book it up’ to someone else who was working on the station, with no idea of the consequences.

Nothing in this feudal system helped Aboriginals become aware of the idea of saving (or deferred gratification), and it preyed on the traditional rule that what belongs to one belongs to everybody.