This article traces the history of child protection in Australia - from its beginnings in the animal welfare movement of 19th century New York, then the establishment of orphanages and institutions, through United Nations responses to the great world wars, to more recent welfare action for Aboriginal children in the Northern Territory. Australia was first settled in the 18th century with British laws: children held few rights, were subject to their fathers, and could be transported as convicts as adult felons. These laws, and public values, have slowly changed since then, and the next obvious steps are the implementation of the United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of the Child and addressing the foster care system.