This group was based in Townsville and Cairns. It was associated with the Queensland Aborigines Advancement League based in Brisbane. Both were part of a national organization.
Joe McGinness was born in Darwin and of Kungarakany descent. He worked in various jobs in Darwin, served in the Australian Army (1942 to 1945), worked in the wharves, and joined the Waterside Workers Federation in 1949. He was elected to the Executive Committe of the Waterside Workers Federation (Cairns Branch) in the 1950s. In 1958 McGinness was founding member of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders Advancement League (Cairns), which affiliated with Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders (FCAATSI) in 1960. He was President of FCAATSI in 1961 to 1973 and 1975 to 1979. In 1970 he was a member of a group led by Kath Walker (Oodgeroo Noonuccal) and Pastor Sir Doug Nicholls which split from FCAATSI to form the National Tribal Council. McGinness campaigned on numerous issues relating to Aborigines and Torres Strait Islander including civil and legal rights, land rights, equal wages, legislative reform, and more educational and employment opportunities.
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Publicists - J. Gresh, J. McGinness
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