Torres Strait Workers' 1936 Strike Celebrated 90 Years On

In January 1936, Torres Strait Islander workers looked at each other across island shores and decided they'd had enough. Their historic strike would change Australian labor rights forever.

For years, these skilled divers had been exploited in the dangerous pearl shell industry with barely any pay. Government officials controlled where they could go, what they could spend, and who could crew their boats.

The workers faced nightly curfews that restricted their movements even further. When a local official named JD McLean toured the islands trying to recruit more workers for company ships, the pearlers made their stand.

They launched Australia's first organized Indigenous maritime workers' strike. The action lasted months, with workers holding firm despite arrests and pushback from authorities.

By September, they had won. The government abolished the curfew, gave workers the right to choose their own boat crews, and removed McLean from his position.

The Ripple Effect

The victory sparked something even bigger. The famous 1937 Masig Conference, a turning point in the Torres Strait's fight for self-determination, drew direct inspiration from the strike's success.

"Torres Strait Islander men stood together on the shores of our islands and said 'enough,'" said Ned David, chair of the Torres Strait Sea and Land Council. "For many years, public focus has been placed on the 1937 Masig Conference. But the spark that lit the fire of change came one year earlier."

The strike's impact reached far beyond the islands. It showed that collective action could overcome systemic racism and proved that Indigenous workers could successfully fight for their rights in colonial Australia.

This week's celebration in the Torres Strait includes cultural exhibitions and seminars honoring the strikers' bravery. Governor-General Sam Mostyn will make an official appearance at the events, which run through January 16.

These divers drew on skills passed down through millennia, born from a sacred relationship with their homeland waters. Their courage 90 years ago continues inspiring new generations fighting for justice and self-determination today.