Ep 12 – Black Power in rural NSW: the 1973 Aboriginal cotton chippers’ strike

In early 1973, over a thousand predominantly Aboriginal workers rose up on strike against their employers in the cotton fields of rural NSW, where they were paid pitiful wages, pushed to work for over ten hours a day, denied rest breaks, and even doused with toxic pesticides as planes sprayed it over fields while workers were still in them. The strike took place at the height of the cotton season and threatened to ruin the entire year’s crop, and within days the petrified cotton-growers had capitulated and granted instant pay rises of almost 50%. In this episode, we're joined by Jordan Humphreys to learn more about this inspiring story.