 In 1897, as part of the Western Australian Government's attempt to gain control of Aboriginal Affairs, the "Aborigines Act 1897" abolished the Aborigines Protection Board and established the Aborigines Department.The Department operated as a subdepartment of the Treasury, with a very small staff under the Chief Protector of Aborigines, Henry Charles Prinsep.Repeated cuts in finances for the operating budget of the Aborigines Department, partly resulting from the 1905 Aborigines Act, saw this department merged in 1909 to form the Department of Aborigines and Fisheries.