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In 1910 the George Valder Report was written to detail the repatriation of about a thousand Australians from South Africa to Australia. Page 14 is particularly relevant in that it details the treatment given to Australians of Aboriginal descent who were stranded in South Africa.
For the file, see:
http://www.aa.gov.au/cgi-bin/Search?O=I&Number=12251
The section reads:
Besides the cases already referred to , I received applications from coloured people who were natives of Australia, in some instances these were the descendants of American Negroes resident in Australia, others were evidently half-caste, and two or three were either Aboriginals, or Aboriginal half-castes. As the Immigration Restriction Act states that coloured persons from Australia cannot be allowed to return, unless they have, prior to leaving the Commonwealth, obtained a permit, I advised these applicants accordingly.
In two cases however, the applicants stated that they had left the Commonwealth prior to this Act coming into force, and I therefore decided to cable to the Prime Minister asking for instructions, and to this I received the reply "that all coloured persons born in Australia must obtain a special permit from the Commonwealth before they could be permitted to land." I advised these men and they are now making application for permits. As these men have all since obtained employment, they will I believe manage to pay their own fares.