MEMBERS of the Stolen Generation will be eligible for financial compensation from the WA government, but a Fremantle-based support service says it’s a drop in the ocean that won’t address many of their needs.

On Tuesday, the Cook government announced that any members of the Stolen Generation taken from their families before July 1, 1972, would be eligible for an $85,000 redress payment later this year. 

WA premier Roger Cook says the redress payments are “small steps” towards “righting a historic wrong” of institutionalised forced removal of Aboriginal children from their families. 

“These payments acknowledge an injustice,” Mr Cook said

“It does not correct what has happened, but it does offer a path forward, and I know there are elderly members of the Stolen Generations who have waited a long time for this… it’s no doubt this is overdue.” 

Bringing Them Home Aboriginal co-chair Tony Hansen says the scheme is “welcome” but appears to have come too late for many members of the Stolen Generation who have passed away. 

“I am sad that so many of my Stolen Generations brothers and sisters have passed away before they could benefit from this scheme,” Mr Hansen said. 

Fremantle support organisation Tuart Place, which offers services for adults who experienced out-of-home care as children, has been “inundated” with requests for Redress application support since the scheme was announced, according to director Philippa White. 

Dr White says the redress payment is a “welcome acknowledgement” of the Stolen Generations scheme but a “drop in the ocean” for Aboriginal people who suffered under the program. 

Trauma

“It’s very hard to put a price tag on trauma and abuse so there’s a feeling of ‘is it enough?’, but it’s certainly better than nothing… from what I understand, it is intended as a symbolic gesture, and not to say that this amount is what their trauma is worth,” Dr White said. 

“For some people it’ll be absolutely great, and for others, it’s not nearly enough. 

“It [can’t] be the financial amount, because that’s a lifetime of lost earnings, mental health problems, every problem that arises from that level of disadvantage that was created from disconnecting people from their county and culture… that can’t be overstated.”

Dr White says she has “concern” for the “couple of hundred” people who were “left out” of the scheme because they were removed from their families after 1972. 

“They weren’t made wards of the state even though the Department of Child Protection made decisions about their lives, they have really thick child welfare files, but their National Redress applications are deemed ineligible despite horrific abuse,” Dr White said.

“It’s kind of salt in the wound for that group, the group who were put into kinship care, and they weren’t made wards of the state because it was a reaction to not wanting to ‘steal’ children, but the outcome of that now is that they’re not able to claim [the redress payment]…it’s really unfair. 

“It’s not a massive amount [of people], and the problem could be fixed by the state government deciding to show compassion to that group, in cases where there was clear state government involvement.” 

As part of the scheme, the government say it will partner with Aboriginal “stakeholder organisations” to develop more extensive healing and truth-telling programs. 

“It’s a very positive step,” Dr White said. 

“Redress is never perfect, and financial payment alone is not sufficient, there needs to be more support for people made available. 

“We see it as a really positive gesture from the government that is obviously wanting to make up for past harms, and that’s good for everybody who has experienced those harms and [subsequent] disadvantage.”

by KATHERINE KRAAYVANGER