Perkins, Charles (1936–2000)

Australian Aboriginal activist and public servant. He championed equal rights for Aborigines in the 1967 referendum that gave the federal government power to legislate for Aborigines. He joined the Office of Aboriginal Affairs in Canberra in 1969, and then the Department of Aboriginal Affairs when it was created in 1973, becoming its secretary in 1984. He was forced to resign in 1988 after clashes with government colleagues.

Known for his outspoken views, Perkins first made a name for himself in 1965 as one of a number of activists who took part in ‘freedom rides’ through country towns of New South Wales exposing segregation and racism. In 1993, he was named Aboriginal of the Year.