Aboriginal Publications Foundation
The Aboriginal Publications Foundation was a national Australian Aboriginal organisation that supported Indigenous creative work and published the influential magazine Identity from 1971 to 1982.
Last updated August 25, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
The Aboriginal Publications Foundation (APF) was a national Australian Aboriginal organisation established in 1970 to encourage, finance and publish creative work by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Its activities covered writing, visual arts, related crafts and cultural expression, with a particular emphasis on creating opportunities for Indigenous authors and artists to reach a national audience. The organisation was founded during a period of expanding Aboriginal political organisation, cultural activism and demands for greater control over the representation of Indigenous life in Australian public media. The foundation offered full membership to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and associate membership to non-Indigenous people. Charles Perkins, then working as a research officer at the Office of Aboriginal Affairs, was an important participant in its establishment. Its inaugural leadership included Oodgeroo Noonuccal, also known as Kath Walker, as president; Doug Nicholls and Don Brady as vice-presidents; Charles Perkins as secretary; and Gordon Briscoe as treasurer. The elected committee also included figures such as George Abdullah, John Moriarty, Bob Randall, Ken Hampton and Harry Jakamarra Nelson. The committee administered the organisation, appointed editors and sought grants to sustain its publishing program. The APF initially received government assistance through a grant from the Office of Aboriginal Affairs. The intended model was that the foundation would eventually become self-supporting, but that objective was not achieved. Its office was first located in Sydney and moved to Perth in 1974. The organisation's principal publication was Identity, a national quarterly magazine first issued in 1971. The magazine combined political discussion, community reporting, cultural commentary, profiles and creative work. It presented the views and achievements of Aboriginal and Islander communities while also reaching non-Indigenous readers. Contributors included prominent activists, writers and public figures such as Kevin Gilbert, Doug Nicholls, Bruce McGuinness, Reg Saunders and Denis Walker. Identity was edited at different times by Barrie Ovenden, John Newfong, Jack Davis, Les Malezar and Jack Waterford. In 1975 its title was revised first to Aboriginal and Thursday Islander Identity and then to Aboriginal and Islander Identity. The foundation also published Aboriginal and Islander Forum, which began in 1975 and ended with a combined volume dated January 1978 to December 1979. The APF's remit increasingly overlapped with that of the Aboriginal Arts Board of the Australia Council, created in the early 1970s. From the middle of 1975, promotional work formerly undertaken by the foundation was placed under the board's control, while the APF increasingly acted as a referral organisation. By 1980, its practical role had narrowed largely to publishing Identity. Financial dependence remained a serious problem, and the withdrawal of Aboriginal Arts Board support contributed directly to the magazine's end. Identity ceased after volume 4, number 7, published in June 1982. Although a committee was elected for 1983–84 and a volunteer office was established at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies, the foundation did not resume sustained operations. George Harwood was appointed managing editor for a proposed six- to twelve-month period in July 1983 after voluntarily organising and running the office. Attempts to secure replacement funding, including an approach to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, were unsuccessful. The APF is therefore generally regarded as having ceased operations after the final issue of Identity. Its surviving publications remain important sources for the history of Indigenous media, political thought, cultural production and community life in twentieth-century Australia.
History
The Aboriginal Publications Foundation emerged in 1970 as part of the development of organised Aboriginal cultural and political institutions in Australia. Its purpose was to give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people greater opportunities to create, publish and circulate their own work. The foundation's rules described a broad cultural mandate: it could publish journals, books and pamphlets; commission new work; organise training; provide scholarships, fellowships and advances; and recognise achievement through competitions, exhibitions and awards. Membership reflected its Indigenous-led orientation. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were eligible for full membership, while non-Indigenous people could join as associates. Charles Perkins, who was employed by the Office of Aboriginal Affairs at the time, played a significant role in the foundation's establishment. The organisation received a grant from that office when it began, with the expectation that it would later become financially self-sustaining. In practice, the foundation remained dependent on grants and other institutional support. The first committee brought together leading Aboriginal activists, artists and community figures. Oodgeroo Noonuccal was the inaugural president, supported by Doug Nicholls and Don Brady as vice-presidents. Charles Perkins served as secretary and Gordon Briscoe as treasurer. Other committee members included George Abdullah, John Moriarty, Bob Randall, Ken Hampton and Harry Jakamarra Nelson. The elected committee controlled the organisation's administration, appointed editors and helped seek funding for publications. The foundation's most important achievement was Identity, a national quarterly magazine first published in 1971. Produced in Sydney until 1974 and in Perth thereafter, the magazine presented political debate alongside community profiles, cultural writing, creative work and accounts of local achievements. It was intended to promote Indigenous talent and provide a national forum for Aboriginal and Islander views. Its readership extended beyond Indigenous communities, making it an important channel through which Indigenous perspectives entered wider Australian public discussion. Contributors included Kevin Gilbert, Doug Nicholls, Bruce McGuinness, Reg Saunders and Denis Walker. Editors included Barrie Ovenden, John Newfong, Jack Davis, Les Malezar and Jack Waterford. The publication underwent a naming change in 1975. One issue appeared as Aboriginal and Thursday Islander Identity, followed by the title Aboriginal and Islander Identity. The foundation also produced Aboriginal and Islander Forum, which began in 1975 and concluded with volume 3, number 12, dated January 1978 to December 1979. The creation of the Aboriginal Arts Board within the Australia Council generated institutional overlap. Both bodies sought to support and promote Aboriginal arts and culture, and from the middle of 1975 promotional work was placed under the board's control. The APF consequently became more of a referral body, directing artists and projects toward the board. By 1980 its effective function had contracted to publishing Identity, even though its original rules envisioned a much broader range of cultural programs. Funding pressure ultimately determined the foundation's fate. The Aboriginal Arts Board withdrew financial support, and the APF attempted to reduce production costs and find new funding sources. Those efforts were unsuccessful. Identity's final issue was volume 4, number 7, published in June 1982. A committee was elected for 1983–84, and a volunteer office was organised at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies. George Harwood, who had been running the office voluntarily, was appointed managing editor in July 1983 for a projected six- to twelve-month period. Further approaches for government assistance did not produce the funding required to restart the publication program. The foundation therefore ceased operating after the last issue of Identity, with many of its functions effectively absorbed by the Aboriginal Arts Board. Its periodical archive has continuing historical value. Back issues of Identity are available through AIATSIS resources, and the magazine is indexed in the Australian Indigenous Index maintained by the State Library of New South Wales. The APF's legacy lies less in a surviving commercial enterprise than in its contribution to Indigenous publishing, cultural authority and the development of an Aboriginal public sphere in Australia.
- 1983
Volunteer continuation attempt
[1]A volunteer office operated at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies, and George Harwood was appointed managing editor for a limited period, but the foundation did not resume sustained operations.
- 1982
Identity ceases publication
[1]The magazine ended with volume 4, number 7, following the withdrawal of Aboriginal Arts Board financial support.
- 1975
Publishing and promotional role reorganised
[1]The foundation's promotional work was placed under the Aboriginal Arts Board, leaving the APF primarily as a referral body while it continued publishing.
- 1975
Aboriginal and Islander Forum begins
[1]The foundation began publishing Aboriginal and Islander Forum as an additional publication.
- 1974
Perth office established
[1]After beginning in Sydney, the foundation established its office in Perth, Western Australia.
- 1971
Identity launched
[1]The foundation began publishing Identity, a national quarterly magazine featuring Indigenous views, community material, political discussion and creative work.
- 1970
Foundation established
[1]The Aboriginal Publications Foundation was established as a national Aboriginal organisation supporting Indigenous creative arts, especially writing and publishing.
Products and positioning
A national Indigenous publishing and cultural-support organisation focused on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander creative expression, community perspectives and self-representation.
National quarterly Indigenous magazine · 1971
Identity
Identity was the Aboriginal Publications Foundation's principal publication and its most enduring contribution. First issued in 1971, the magazine combined political debate, cultural commentary, community profiles, local achievements and creative writing. It aimed to present Aboriginal and Islander perspectives in a national forum and promoted both established and less well-known Indigenous talent. The magazine was produced in Sydney until 1974 and in Perth afterward. In 1975 its title changed first to Aboriginal and Thursday Islander Identity and then to Aboriginal and Islander Identity. Publication ended in June 1982.
Indigenous cultural and political publication · 1975
Aboriginal and Islander Forum
Aboriginal and Islander Forum was a secondary publication of the foundation, intended to provide additional space for Indigenous discussion and cultural material. It began in 1975 and ceased with volume 3, number 12, dated January 1978 to December 1979.
Brand decisions
1982
Publication of Identity discontinuedOtherBackground
The foundation remained financially dependent on external support, while efforts to reduce production costs and obtain replacement funding proved unsuccessful.
Action taken
Identity was ended after the publication of volume 4, number 7, in June 1982, following the withdrawal of Aboriginal Arts Board funding.
Aftermath
A volunteer continuation effort and further funding applications did not restore regular operations, and the foundation ceased activity.
1975
Transfer of promotional work to the Aboriginal Arts BoardStrategyBackground
The newly established Aboriginal Arts Board had objectives that overlapped with those of the foundation, creating duplication in arts promotion and support.
Action taken
From the middle of 1975, promotional work was placed under the control of the Aboriginal Arts Board, while the foundation continued in a narrower referral capacity.
Aftermath
The APF's activities increasingly centred on publishing Identity, and by 1980 publication was effectively its sole function.
Recent events
- 1982
Identity ends after financial support is withdrawn[1]
Bankruptcy · Other
Identity ended with volume 4, number 7, after the Aboriginal Arts Board withdrew financial support and alternative funding could not be secured.
- 1975
Promotional responsibilities transferred to Aboriginal Arts Board[1]
Other
Overlapping responsibilities with the Aboriginal Arts Board of the Australia Council led to the transfer of the foundation's promotional work and a narrower referral role.
- 1974
Foundation office moves from Sydney to Perth[1]
Other
The organisation established its office in Perth after operating from Sydney during its first years.
- 1971
Identity begins national publication[1]
Product launch
The APF launched Identity, a quarterly magazine combining cultural material, community reporting, creative work and political commentary.
- 1970
Aboriginal Publications Foundation established[1]
Other
The foundation was created as a national Aboriginal organisation to support Indigenous writing, art and related creative activity.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/aboriginal-publications-foundation · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled