Latest news with #StolenGeneration
West Australian
a day ago
- General
- West Australian
Emma Garlett: No amount of money can heal the wounds of Stolen Generations
For decades, West Australian children were taken from their families, for no reason other than their race. These were the Stolen Generations — thousands of Aboriginal children forcibly removed from their homes, denied access to their mothers and fathers, their communities and their culture. They were stolen, and they were stolen from. They were robbed of the basic right to live with their loved ones. The impact from that injustice has rippled out for generations. And now, the WA Government has put a dollar figure on their suffering. Under a redress scheme announced by Premier Roger Cook during Reconciliation Week, surviving members of the Stolen Generation are eligible for a one-off payment of $85,000. Mr Cook said the payments were an acknowledgement of a great injustice. 'It acknowledges the Stolen Generations era represents a sorrowful and shameful part of our history, and recognises that it has caused cycles of disadvantage and intergenerational trauma,' he said. 'No amount of money could ever make up for the experience of Stolen Generations members and their families, and the ongoing effects on people's lives.' He is right that it is inadequate. Australia's median annual income is about $72,500. In return for lifetimes of trauma and suffering, victims will receive a little over a year's wages. What of those Stolen Generation members who are no longer living? They receive nothing, their families receive nothing. Intergenerational trauma is exactly that: intergenerational. The death of a person who was stolen doesn't end the suffering. It continues in their own children and grandchildren, handed down through families. It almost seems convenient that we should wait so long to repay the victims of direct government action and then give no heed to the impacts the stolen generations had on their families. That said, there's no way money could ever heal those wounds. Instead, the Government needs to step up on other initiatives which will help to acknowledge the sins of the past and make real steps towards reconciliation. Labor has said it intends to 'partner with Aboriginal stakeholder organisations to develop measures for healing and truth telling'. When it does so, these healing and truth telling measures need to be enshrined in law. They need to be locked in, made more difficult to abolition should a future government have a change of heart. Emma Garlett is a legal academic and Nyiyaparli- Yamatji-Nyungar woman
West Australian
6 days ago
- Politics
- West Australian
Geraldton walk calls for unity during Reconciliation Week after WA's Stolen Generations redress announcement
Local school students and community groups stepped up to take a stand for reconciliation on Wednesday, the day after the WA Government unveiled a redress scheme for survivors of the Stolen Generation. About 200 people gathered in Geraldton's CBD to take part in the annual Wanarayimanha walk, part of National Reconciliation Week, which included a walk along the foreshore and a welcome to country by Kathleen Councillor. The event was hosted by Desert Blue Connect, Radio MAMA and Legal Aid WA and organised by the Department of Justice, and Justice and Community Network Committee. Leader of the march, previous Mid West Gascoyne police youth crime intervention officer and Aboriginal regional co-ordinator at Department of Communities, Rob Gibson said events like the walk were 'massive' for the entire community. 'If you're thinking about bridging a gap between non-Indigenous Australians and Aboriginal people, especially Yamatji peoples, it's really important to come together at many little events like this, they grow and they grow, and that's what we want,' he said. 'We want that involvement. We want that connection between them both. Because both of us have great histories. We need to combine that. 'So I always like to think that if you combine 250 years of history with 60,000 years of history, imagine the strength.' On Tuesday morning after National Sorry Day, WA Premier Roger Cook announced that $85,000 would be available per person for Stolen Generation survivors removed from their families before July 1, 1972, as a one-off payment as part of the redress scheme. Applications will open in the second half of the year and only surviving members of the Stolen Generation will be eligible. 'These payments acknowledge an injustice. It does not correct what has happened, but it does offer a path forward,' the Premier said. Mr Gibson, whose father is a survivor of the Stolen Generation, said the announcement was welcomed — not for the money, but the acknowledgement. 'I can certainly say, from a personal point of view, that my father was taken away when he was just a little boy. He didn't see his parents again for a number of years. And that's, you know, that's massive,' he said. 'It's not even about the funds. It's actually about the recognition of his worth and what he's been through, because it's not those missing years, it's the 89 years that he's been around. So it's really important to get that recognition.' Yamatji Southern Regional Corporation CEO Luka Gray said the redress scheme was a 'long-overdue' step toward 'truth, healing and justice for Aboriginal people who were forcibly removed from their families, culture and country.' 'We recognise the deep and ongoing intergenerational trauma caused by these removals and the resilience of our Stolen Generations survivors, many of whom remain active knowledge-holders and leaders in our community,' she said. 'While no financial payment can ever fully address the harm suffered, we hope this scheme provides a meaningful recognition of that pain and supports a path forward through healing and truth-telling initiatives. 'YSRC looks forward to engaging with government and community stakeholders to ensure that the delivery of the scheme is respectful, accessible and culturally safe for all Yamatji Nation members.' The reconciliation walk, which focused on the theme Bridging Now to Next, started at Rocks Laneway, made its way along the foreshore, and returned to the laneway for a morning tea, giving the community a chance to connect, share stories and work together for a better future. Mr Gibson said Australia still has far to go when it comes to bridging the gap. 'It's baby steps generally,' he said. 'I think we have never been in a time where people have more knowledge about our people. 'But unfortunately, we're only this far on the distance of that, so we've got a long way to go.'
SBS Australia
27-05-2025
- Politics
- SBS Australia
Evening News Bulletin 27 May 2025
Anthony Albanese tours NSW flood disaster WA Stolen Generation eligible for compensation Fresh faces in Matildas' squad Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with SBS News Podcasts . Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is visiting flood zones in New South Wales today and warns the devastation could have costs for the entire country. Claiming five lives so far, the intense flooding along New South Wales' mid-north coast has left almost 800 homes and businesses uninhabitable. That number is expected to rise as recovery efforts continue. The floods have prompted federal and state natural disaster recovery arrangements, including small loans for business, which have been activated for 19 local government areas. Mr Albanese says the entire country will be impacted by the disaster. "Whilst there are people who are directly affected here, every Australian is affected as well, by the fact that we've had a loss of dairy industries. That will have an impact right throughout Australia and right throughout the economic impact here as well, but the human impact, we must remember, first and foremost." Stolen Generation survivors in Western Australia will now be eligible for redress for the harm caused by forced removals from family and community. The state government has announced that living survivors will be eligible for payments of up to $85,000 under the scheme. This follows National Sorry Day on Monday, which marks the anniversary of the tabling of the Bringing Them Home report to parliament in 1997. Premier Roger Cook says the scheme is a major step towards reconciliation. "We deeply regret this shameful period in our state's history and acknowledge the profound impact that this has had on Aboriginal families and people. Today, I want to leave you with more than just words. I want to leave you with action. Today, I can announce that the WA government will deliver a redress scheme for living members of the Stolen Generations of Western Australia." Queensland remains the only jurisdiction that does not offer reparations to survivors. New South Wales police commissioner Yasmin Catley has announced a new taskforce to tackle gangland violence after a recent spate of attacks. Taskforce Falcon will combine 13 separate investigations into one effort involving 150 people, including 100 detectives. The announcement comes after three shootings in one fortnight sparked fears of more retaliation. Police say they believe the recent increase in violence is linked to feuds over Sydney's lucrative drug market. Deputy Commissioner David Hudson says they will leave no stone unturned. "Since 2021 we have had 25 organized crime murders in the state of New South Wales. 20 of those have been solved through investigation, and the other five are ongoing. None of these jobs are put to bed until they are resolved, and some of those investigations have involved the arrests of up to 30 people." Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie has defeated Pauline Hanson's daughter, Lee Hanson, in a tight race for Tasmania's final Senate seat. Tasmania's other senators include Labor's Carol Brown and Richard Dowling, the Liberals' Claire Chandler and Richard Colbeck, and Nick McKim from the Greens. In the lower chamber, two seats are undergoing recounts after fierce contests. Election officials in the seat of Bradfield are conducting a full recount after eight votes separated Liberal candidate Gisele Kapterian from independent Nicolette Boele. Meanwhile, a partial recount is underway in the inner-Melbourne seat of Goldstein, where independent Zoe Daniel was fending off Liberal candidate Tim Wilson. Tasmania's state government has released fast track legislation designed to speed up approvals for a new waterfront stadium in Hobart. The cost of the contentious project, which is a condition of the state's license for an A-F-L team, has now blown out to almost $1 billion. The project was originally slated to cost $715 million and is now expected to cost around $945 million. Business and Industry Minister Eric Abetz says the increase is to better cater for a wide range of planned uses. "This is going to be an iconic gateway to our capital city. It's going to provide a multipurpose stadium for concerts, for cultural events, for conventions, and of course, an AFL Stadium. And the AFL has made it perfectly clear, and we fully understand why, that without a stadium, there won't be a team." To soccer now, with a new coach on the horizon for the Matildas, the next generation of players know the time to impress is now. Australia play Argentina at Melbourne on Friday night, then in Canberra three days later. Sam Kerr, Mary Fowler, Ellie Carpenter, Katrina Gorry, Hayley Raso and Mackenzie Arnold are among the big-name players absent. It means the games loom as an audition for other players to show their wares. Young Calgary Wild attacker Kahli Johnson has earned her first call-up and says she's ready to make the most of her chance. "I think you know there's some great players like Caitlin Foord, Steph Catley, you know they obviously have so much experience. Emily van Edgmond. So, I think those older girls that have been doing it for a while, I think, just kind of soaking up as much as I can from them and seeing how they carry themselves, yeah, just trying to see what it's like to be a top footballer like they are."
ABC News
27-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Advocates welcome WA's Stolen Generation redress scheme
CEO of the Healing Foundation Shannan Dodson has welcomed the WA Premier's announcement of a redress scheme for the state's survivors of the Stolen Generation.
West Australian
27-05-2025
- General
- West Australian
Stolen Generation symposium hears truth telling is key to community moving forward as Aboriginal allies
A panel of Aboriginal elders gave emotional accounts of their experiences as members of the Stolen Generation at a National Sorry Day symposium at Albany Entertainment Centre on Monday. The event was staged by the Southern Aboriginal Corporation and the Great Southern Aboriginal Health Service and attracted a wide audience of community members, Aboriginal elders and stakeholders. SAC chief executive Asha Bhat said the aim of the event was to acknowledge the courage of the Stolen Generations, their pain and their resilience. 'This event is a safe space, it's about truth telling and healing and the elders sharing their lived experiences. 'For the wider community, it's about listening, learning and standing in solidarity with Aboriginal people. 'Reconciliation starts with truth telling, so we must acknowledge and come together without forgetting about the history. 'The overwhelming presence of those at the event shows reconciliation is not too far away and that we can all walk alongside the Aboriginal people as allies.' Panellists Gary Ryder, and brothers Timothy and Ezzard Flowers had been taken to the Carrolup Settlement, later known as Marribank, near Katanning, as children. They explained that conditions there were harsh but it was the separation from their families at such a young age that meant eventual reunifications were made even more difficult. Ezzard had been taken there when he was just two years old, after his father died. 'It was difficult to reconnect with home, with country, with family and with those who were no longer there,' he said. 'They were terrifying times.' His brother Timothy said it was time to move forward. 'Sharing stories is part of the healing process,' he said. 'We came through that challenge on our own, as children. 'But now we can move forward together because walking together is better than walking alone.'
