Senator GUILFOYLE - The honourable senator referred both to the Commonwealth Government's Style Manual and to the latest edition of the Concise Oxford Dictionary. I am glad to see that in the first and subsequent editions of the Style Manual advice is given that the word 'Aboriginal' and its derivatives should be dignified with a capital letter, in the same way as Maori, Negro and Red Indian, when referring to the Aboriginal inhabitants of Australia. I am pleased to note that while it was not common practice in 1966 when the manual first appeared, the use of an initial capital is now accepted not only in government publications but also very widely in the Press and in other publications.

I draw the honourable senator's attention to the entry in the Concise Oxford Dictionary immediately preceding the one to which he refers in which under 'aboriginal' the example is given of 'Australian Aboriginals' with an initial capital. I understand that the Style Manual committee gave the matter careful consideration before deciding originally to advise using the singular 'Aboriginal' and the plural 'Aboriginals'. Eminent authorities including the Oxford Dictionary and Fowler's Modern English Usage were opposed to the use of Aborigine' as the singular form. Usage changes, however, and in the second and third editions of the manual the note was added:

There is good cause for encouraging uniformity, at least in official papers. The use of 'Aboriginal ' and 'Aboriginals' is comparable with the use of the abjectival form 'Indian' as the noun also. I know that some people prefer the forms 'Aborigine' and 'Aborigines'. The honourable senator may wish to make representations for a change in the Style Manual through my colleague, the Minister for Administrative Services. If so, I feel sure that the discussions he could arouse from the comments he has made in this question would be of interest to the Committee that seeks to give the dignity to the Aborigines of Australia that we all believe signifies the unique qualities that they have.