Stolen Generations survivors, descendants want WA redress scheme expanded
Readers are advised that this article may contain an image of Indigenous people who have died.
The announcement of a redress scheme for survivors of WA's Stolen Generations was something the 62-year-old Goreng/Wiilmen Noongar woman had spent years fighting for as part of Yokai, a group of survivors who came together in 2013.
But for Ms Ryder and her sister Meredith Edmonds, the day was also bittersweet.
Authorities took them and their siblings from their family's farm near Tambellup, 320 kilometres south of Perth, to Roelands Native Mission in 1973, after the scheme's cut-off date of July 1, 1972, meaning they are not eligible for the reparation payments the scheme provides for.
"There was physical, emotional and sexual abuse that occurred during my time at the missions and also during my time in other state facilities," Ms Ryder said.
Ms Ryder was 10 years old when she was first put in Roelands.
She was later returned home, only to be forcibly removed again and twice sent to Wandering Mission, about 120km south-east of Perth.
Ms Edmonds was just six and was removed four times in total, spending time in Roelands, Wandering and Marribank.
Court records show the sisters were declared neglected and committed to state custody, though neither could recall ever attending court and both reported living a happy, stable life with their parents before they were taken.
A government report from that year shows children in WA could be committed to state care if their parents were found to be neglectful or if they themselves were deemed "neglected by virtue of his own behaviour".
The siblings will miss out on the $85,000 individual payments to be offered to individual survivors.
But Ms Edmonds said what was more upsetting was the disregard for her lived experience.
"We were still getting assimilated and put into missions after that date," she said.
The state government told the ABC the cut-off date aligned with when the Native Welfare Act 1963 was repealed, replaced with the Aboriginal Affairs Planning Authority Act 1972.
The new act abolished the Department of Native Welfare and created the Aboriginal Affairs Planning Authority, which was no longer directly involved in out-of-home care for Aboriginal children in WA, though records show it continued to fund missions into the 1980s.
A national inquiry into the Stolen Generations found about one in 10 Aboriginal people in WA were in institutions in 1972, the majority children.
The report showed the number of children committed to state care started to decline around this time but removals did continue.
The Healing Foundation, an organisation supporting Stolen Generations survivors and their families, said it could take some time for shifts in practice to follow legislative change.
Binjareb Noongar woman Alice Kearing said there were many more Stolen Generations survivors in WA removed after the cut-off date, including herself.
She was taken to Roelands in 1974, aged four.
Earlier this year, the 55-year-old was invited to share her own experiences at a series of events about WA's Stolen Generations.
She was in the middle of one such presentation in late May when news of the redress scheme broke.
"They talked about a cut-off date … I didn't know how to react," Ms Kearing said.
"I felt like, 'What was I doing here? What was I doing, doing this presentation?'
Ms Kearing said she immediately thought of her brothers, who had spent much of their time at Roelands trying to protect her, and would also miss out.
"They were my heroes … that's a scar that won't go away ever."
Ms Ryder and Ms Edmonds have called for the cut-off date to be based on when the state's last missions closed in the late 1980s.
Ms Kearing said the cut-off date should be removed altogether.
"Take that burden off my family."
First Nations people taken after the cut-off date are not the only survivors to miss out on reparations.
Many members of the Stolen Generations taken within the eligible time frame died waiting for the WA government to commit to a redress scheme.
Noongar woman Isobel Bevis's mother was one of eight siblings torn from their parents and country in 1960.
Only two of them are still alive.
Ms Bevis said their deaths were not a "get out of jail free" card for the government.
"I think it's disrespectful … of Premier Roger Cook to exclude those that have passed."
Ms Bevis has written to Mr Cook asking him to reconsider the eligibility criteria.
In a petition to the state government, Kariyarra Noongar woman Sharon Todd additionally advocated for repatriation and counselling programs to be funded, as well as headstones for those who have died.
Ms Todd's late parents were both members of the Stolen Generations, and in 2021, she established WA's first Indigenous funeral service.
"[The criteria] is putting a bandaid over the wounds of some without looking at all of us," she said.
"Not knowing our language and not knowing the extended relationships … it makes it really difficult to move forward with confidence and clarity of where we belong."
A 1997 inquiry by the Australian Human Rights Commission into the Stolen Generations said descendants should be included in reparations to acknowledge the long-lasting intergenerational trauma caused by forced removals.
This has not been written into WA's redress scheme, despite Mr Cook acknowledging in his speech in May that the forced removal of children had "caused cycles of disadvantage and intergenerational trauma".
The state government said the scheme was focused on living individuals who suffered as a result of their removal but that survivors of those who died after the scheme was announced could apply on their behalf.
"The WA government is working with Stolen Generations organisations on additional measures to address healing and truth-telling," a spokesperson said.
The scheme is expected to open to applications later this year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
3 days ago
- ABC News
Move of Perth Zoo's last elephant Putra Mas to SA's Monarto Safari Park delayed
The scheduled move of Perth Zoo's last elephant to South Australia has been delayed, as its new home Monarto Safari Park works to integrate the four females that arrived earlier this year. The zoo had planned for male elephant Putra Mas to leave in June or July, but the Asian elephant will remain in Perth until later in the year. "[Monarto] is still managing the introductions of the females," Perth Zoo's Acting Director of Life Sciences John Lemon said. "They are still undertaking fence-line contact and trying to get those four animals to be a working herd, or at least share the same habitat." Perth Zoo farewelled its female elephant Permai in January, who joined Burma from Auckland Zoo at Monarto. Two other females moved from Taronga Zoo shortly after. Putra Mas was expected to follow after going through must — a periodic, hormonal condition which can result in aggressive behaviour. Delayed works on the habitat required before Putra Mas arrives is contributing to the postponement, though Mr Lemon is confident the male will be in South Australia by the end of the year. "We're just on elephant time," he said. "There's still the introductions, they won't hold us up, if they're not together we'll still look at moving our boy, but there is also some facility works that need to be finished. "[Putra Mas] has progressed really well with his crate training here. The bespoke crate's been finished for some time, so it's ready to roll. "So it's just waiting for all of those things to come together and we'll set a date and move." Perth Zoo was expecting to add two southern white rhinos this year, but health concerns over the incoming pair means that plan isn't going ahead. "The female rhinos that were being considered for transfer to Perth Zoo have had a couple of unexpected health issues," Mr Lemon said. "They are no longer suitable for road or flight transport. From a health point of view they need to stay at Werribee's Open Range Zoo." The arrival of the rhinos was to coincide with the departure of male Bakari who was slated to be part of the regional breeding program. He'll instead remain in Perth while other breeding options are explored. "There is quite a lot of science that goes his genetics can contribute to the regional program, so we need to look what are the best options for him moving forward," Mr Lemon said. Despite the delayed move for Putra Mas, plans for a 30-million dollar upgrade to the African Savanna were going ahead. "We still have grand plans for that, but (the delayed move) is not holding it up at all and won't affect the timing of that," Mr Lemon said. The zoo has undergone extensive construction in recent years, with a new gibbon enclosure recently opened to patrons.
SBS Australia
5 days ago
- SBS Australia
'Rent is going up five times faster than wages': What's behind WA's housing crisis
Elizabeth Wright parks her ute beneath the shade of a tree at a quiet suburban park in Perth's north. It's not her first time here, and lately she's been coming more regularly — not for fresh air or a picnic, but to mentally prepare for something more confronting. The 38-year-old single mother gestures to the adjoining car park and says this is where she thinks she'd park on most nights. ''I would build a secure load on the back of my ute," Wright tells SBS News. "It's just about condensing life into a vehicle and [to] see what I can fit in the back of it." In a quiet moment by the water, Elizabeth Wright reflects on the uncertainty of life without stable housing. As rental prices soar, she's among a growing number of Australians facing an increasingly fragile future. Source: SBS News / Christopher Tan Wright, who is on income support, talks through the layout of her single-cab ute, with calm resolve: she's already planned how to convert it into a sleeping space. "I probably have to get a smaller bed than this … so I can fit a wardrobe on the side … and that's all I would really need," she says. "I always aim for minimalist living but maximalist style, and the past year and a half has really challenged me to do that." I can't have my daughter with me in that space. That's what's demoralising, that's what breaks me. Wright grew up in Perth and moved around frequently as a child due to her father's work. Later, she lived with her mum and stepdad until they decided to sell the family home to downsize in July last year. That was when her rental journey began — one she never imagined would lead her to scoping out bedding options for a ute. But after a year of renting across Perth — and facing three evictions through no fault of her own — she's rehearsing how to survive homelessness. A single mother on the brink of homelessness scopes out this park in Perth's north as a potential place to sleep. With nowhere stable to live, she's planning how to turn her ute into a last-resort shelter. Source: SBS News / Christopher Tan For now, Wright is couch surfing at her sister's rental, another single mother on the verge of being priced out of housing in Perth. "But, just sort of losing [my] home over and over again, after losing something I'd built myself [and] having to re-set up somewhere else … I am so over moving things," she says. Housing pressures most acute for WA renters Wright's story is becoming disturbingly common, not just in Western Australia, but across the country. According to a 2025 housing affordability study by Bankwest Curtin Economic Centre (BCEC), capital city house prices have surged by 59 per cent — an increase of more than $373,000 — with Perth and Brisbane recording an 84 per cent growth. Perth's median house price jumped from $463,000 in 2019 to $851,000 in February 2025, driven by investor interest and population growth. It's one of the steepest increases for a capital city in the past five years. Despite recent and forecasted interest rate cuts, as well as expanded government first home buying schemes, affordability in Perth is continuing to deteriorate. But it is renters who are feeling the sharpest edge. Perth recorded the steepest rise in advertised weekly rents nationwide between 2019 and 2024, outpacing all other capital cities. Source: SBS News The median advertised rent in Perth has climbed from $350 a week in 2019 to $650 by the end of 2024 — an 86 per cent spike that makes it the least affordable capital city for renters in the country. Along with the Northern Territory, WA is one of the two remaining jurisdictions that still allow "no-grounds" evictions. This describes a scenario in which landlords can evict tenants without providing a reason, as long as they give 30 days' notice at the end of a fixed-term lease or 60 days during a periodic lease. They can issue an eviction notice even if the tenant hasn't done anything wrong. There are seven other legal grounds for eviction, including property sales, hardship and tenant breaches. The lack of protection from no-fault termination leaves renters like Wright vulnerable. Growing risk of homelessness According to the most recent Census, 9,729 people were experiencing homelessness in WA in 2021 — a 114 per cent increase from the previous Census. That includes 2,315 people who reported sleeping rough. In the last financial year, Shelter WA says nearly 25,000 people sought help from specialist homelessness services in WA, representing an 18 per cent jump over the decade. Housing advocate Jordan van den Lamb says the crisis is no longer isolated to the most vulnerable. "We're seeing 10,000 people experience homelessness each month," he says. "Most people have felt this pressure in the last three years. Renters are choosing between their rent and medication, groceries, bills." Housing advocate Jordan van den Lamb says soaring rents and weak protections are pushing more Western Australians to the brink. "We can't rely on a market solution to fix a market failure," he says. Source: SBS News / Christopher Tan Shelter WA estimates a person earning $70,000 a year would now spend 58 per cent of their income on rent alone. "I am pretty sure constantly moving out … unless you want to … is not what the great Australian dream is for housing," Wright says. The power imbalance Tenants are increasingly afraid to speak up. Alice Pennycott, principal tenancy lawyer at Circle Green Community Legal, says she sees this fear every day. "People come to us for advice on repairs, but then they hesitate — worried that if they complain, their lease won't be renewed," Pennycott says. There's no way to challenge a no-grounds eviction. Unless the notice itself is invalid — the reason doesn't matter. Victoria and NSW have scrapped no-fault evictions. NSW introduced reforms in May, allowing landlords to terminate leases only for specific reasons, such as selling the property, renovating, or moving in themselves. Advocates say the WA government is reluctant to act, fearing landlords may exit the market. But Pennycott says that's not a justification for inaction. Alice Pennycott from Circle Green Community Legal is calling for urgent reforms to end no-grounds evictions and improve protections for people at risk of losing their homes. Source: SBS News / Christopher Tan "We are not saying landlords shouldn't be allowed to evict people," Pennycott says. "We are saying we just want a reason and we are supporting introducing more reasons into the legislation." A broken market Even with 20,500 homes completed in 2024 — the most in seven years — WA still fell short of its National Housing Accord target of 25,000 dwellings. Since March 2023, only 694 new rental dwellings have been added in Perth, which represents a growth of just 0.4 per cent. Over the same period, the population has surged by 119,000, leaving a rental shortfall of 7,700 homes. Vacancy rates have ticked slightly above 2 per cent but remain well below healthy levels. "Rent is going up five times faster than wages," van den Lamb says. "We can't rely on a market solution to fix a market failure." Even with 3,300 social homes delivered and 5,800 more promised by the WA government, waitlists continue to grow. Demand for social housing in WA has surged, with the waiting list ballooning and urgent applications rising sharply over the past six years. Source: SBS News More than 21,000 people are now waiting for public housing. The average wait time is 151 weeks. Among priority applicants, including people escaping domestic violence or homelessness, demand has jumped 330 per cent in six years. 'You didn't choose that life' For many Western Australians, financial stress is only the beginning. "People used to get a termination notice and say, 'Well, I'll just find another rental.' Now they're saying, 'Where am I going to go?'" Pennycott says. Accessing legal support is becoming more complex, she says. People are looking for help more than ever because they have fewer alternatives. We hear from people every day who don't know where they'll sleep next week. The cumulative toll on renters like Wright is immense. "If you can't have your children with you, or you're both living in a car and you didn't choose that life, that's not just hard, it's dehumanising," she says. "How is it that we live in such a beautiful and privileged society, and there are so many people without somewhere to live?" Systemic change needed The latest BCEC report titled 'A long way from home' outlines a comprehensive plan to tackle WA's housing crisis, and calls for urgent investment in both rental and public housing. Short-term recommendations include expanding the Commonwealth Rent Assistance scheme and making the WA Rent Relief Program permanent. The program has already helped over 2,700 renters remain in their homes. At Circle Green Community Legal, frontline staff take calls from renters facing mounting housing stress. Many are seeking urgent advice after receiving eviction notices or struggling with unaffordable rent hikes. Source: SBS News / Christopher Tan The report also calls for more crisis and transitional accommodation, particularly for women and families escaping domestic violence. In the medium term, it recommends fast-tracking housing completions, scaling up social and affordable housing using the state's investment fund, and targeting new developments at first-home buyers and key workers, such as childcare educators, retail and hospitality workers, health support workers, and general administrative services. It also calls for incentives for build-to-rent developments and enforceable standards for rental properties. Among its long-term recommendations, the report urges the WA government to commit to delivering 24,000 new homes each year — including a minimum of 1,200 new or repurposed social dwellings — and to replace stamp duty with a more efficient system to support household mobility. Small steps, but a long way to go In 2024, the WA government updated its Residential Tenancies Act, with the first tranche of changes allowing pets and minor modifications in most rentals and limiting rent increases to once every 12 months. The reforms were introduced in addition to the ban on rent bidding and retaliatory actions from landlords brought in earlier that year. However, there's still no cap on rental increases. In a statement to SBS News, a state government spokesperson declined to say whether it would abolish "no grounds" evictions entirely. "Recommendations for a second phase of reforms are expected to be finalised for consideration later this year," the spokesperson said. "Stage two will consider a range of further measures to protect renters, including setting minimum standards, the collection of bonds, rents and other charges, and clear definitions of boarding and lodging. "Consultation with stakeholders will guide the second phase of these reforms." Seen through her office window, tenancy lawyer Alice Pennycott works to support renters navigating an increasingly hostile housing market. She says more and more people are reaching out with nowhere else to turn. Source: SBS News / Christopher Tan But advocates say these measures barely scratch the surface. "It doesn't address the heart of the problem: renters being protected from being thrown out into the street into homelessness," Pennycott says. WA court data shows more than 1,500 eviction applications have been filed annually in the last four years, not including informal or unchallenged cases. BCEC figures also reveal that nearly two-thirds of single women renters in WA aged 55 and over are living in poverty, with half in the "severe poverty" category. "There's a growing awareness now. Everyone knows someone who's been impacted — whether it's rent hikes, eviction, or just the stress of trying to find a place to live," Pennycott says. "[But] we've been lobbying for change since 2019." Sitting beneath the trees by the Swan River, Elizabeth Wright reflects on the emotional toll of housing insecurity. With support systems stretched and options running out, she says no-one should be forced to raise a child from the back of a car in a country as wealthy as Australia. Source: SBS News / Christopher Tan For Wright, the crisis isn't just about statistics — it's about recognising the humanity of renters. We treat housing as a commodity, but it's a basic human right. Wright's wish is singular: All she wants, she says, is a place to call home again. "I just want to give my daughter a secure place to grow up. "Not a car, not someone else's couch. A home."
ABC News
6 days ago
- ABC News
Cairns women's shed opens as sector ponders its future
Men's sheds outnumber McDonald's restaurants in Australia. While the fast food giant has about1,000 stores, more than 1,200 men's sheds have sprung up across the country since the first one opened its doors in Goolwa, South Australia, in the 1990s. For three decades, they've offered blokes a place to do craftwork "shoulder to shoulder", as the organisation's motto goes, and shone a much-needed spotlight on men's mental health issues. They now serve more than 50,000 members or "shedders", but with an ageing cohort and more groups in society calling for their own sheds, there are questions around how the movement will evolve. Ever since Wendy Bryant's father helped set up the Cairns Men's Shed in the 2000s, she thought the city's women should have something similar too. Almost 20 years on, Ms Bryant on Friday cut the ribbon at Far North Queensland's first women's shed — She Shed Cairns — which her family's construction company and dozens of local businesses and volunteers helped build. The 68-year-old was a keen potter before a degenerative brain disease curtailed her hobby. She is now looking forward to enjoying other crafty pursuits and companionship at the shed with the help of her carer. Ms Bryant's story resonated with She Shed Cairns founder Jane Mitchell, who knew two young mums who suffered debilitating strokes in their 30s and 40s and saw how crafting helped them find some joy and purpose again. "But a nice space to come and connect with other women was really missing," Ms Mitchell said. The new Cairns shed joins more than 60 women's sheds throughout Australia. The founder of a Perth-based women's shed, Michelle Slater, began the process of forming the Australian Women's Shed Association (AWSA) 18 months ago to give female shedders a national voice. "We have a constitution drafted, I have a board waiting to go, we're literally just after that initial seed funding to launch," she said. Ms Slater said securing a space and funding were significant challenges for individual women's sheds. While they can access some state-based funding, they are not eligible for $1 million in annual grants under the federal government's National Shed Development Program. The federal health department said the program was specifically tied to its National Men's Health Strategy to address higher rates of loneliness and isolation experienced by older men. But AWSA said women's sheds deserved their own dedicated funding. Gender exclusivity has long been the basis upon which men's sheds were founded and a major reason for their success and proliferation. But gender integration is occurring to varying degrees in some locations, from men's sheds that have "ladies" or mixed days to community sheds that are gender-inclusive, such as the one in Coburg, Victoria. The Australian Men's Shed Association (AMSA) has also been supporting emerging women's sheds with advice and sharing insurance and manuals. AMSA executive officer David Helmers said there were many benefits to diversifying the shed movement, such as sharing costs and resources and attracting new members. "I think where there is a bit of pushback is at an individual level," he said. Mr Helmers said retaining gender-exclusive spaces was still important for many communities. "We acknowledge we don't want men's sheds to all become co-ed," he said. "We created a space with tools and equipment so men felt comfortable talking to each other. "When it becomes a shared space, those conversations could stop." Ms Slater said gender-exclusive spaces were also "really powerful" for many women, such as those escaping domestic violence. "It was really helpful for them to have a space where they felt safe and where they could come and learn skills that were traditionally exclusive to men," she said. But Ms Slater said a one-size-fits-all approach would not work and each community needed to work out the best way to accommodate its aspiring shedders. Mr Helmers said it made sense that the men's shed movement would evolve. AMSA was making changes to broaden its work, including trials to attract younger men, which required sheds to open in the evenings to accommodate those who work during the day. "How men's sheds will change into the future and how women's sheds will evolve remains to be seen," he said. Ms Slater said women's sheds had diverse offerings tailored to their communities, such as one in the Northern Territory that focused on bush medicine. At She Shed Cairns, aside from the traditional arts and crafts, lessons in financial literacy and home maintenance have also been included after Ms Mitchell was bombarded with requests. "I now know women over the age of 50 are at the biggest risk of homelessness," Ms Mitchell said. "I've found an ex-financial planner who's willing to give her time, and we have a lovely lady who's come on board to teach woodwork, so hopefully we can empower women to be more confident with power tools and maintain their own home."
