A new report has found only 6% of recommendations made to support Stolen Generations survivors and their families almost 28 years ago have been implemented, recommending a package of urgent changes to enable remaining elderly survivors to live out their days with dignity.
The report by The Healing Foundation includes commissioned analysis by researchers at the University of Canberra and modernisation of the Bringing them home report recommendations. It also draws on insights from many years of consultation with survivors and Stolen Generations Organisations on their needs and priorities.
On the eve of the 17th anniversary of the Apology to the Stolen Generations, The Healing Foundation’s CEO Shannan Dodson said with survivor numbers declining every year, an urgent response was required from all sides of politics, all levels of government, police, churches and others with responsibilities to support the Stolen Generations.
“We have already lost too many survivors, even in the last few weeks. Immediate and prioritised action is needed to provide equitable redress for all survivors, rectify issues preventing survivors from accessing their own family records, offer ongoing support for Stolen Generations organisations and ensure there are culturally safe, trauma informed aged care and health services for survivors,” Ms Dodson said.
The Healing Foundation’s chair Professor Steve Larkin said the new report offers practical policy solutions to some of the big challenges facing survivors and their families.
“Stolen Generations survivors have specific and complex ageing needs resulting from their forced removal and are more likely to fare worse than other older Indigenous people on a range of outcomes. They are the gap within the gap. Yet we know survivors are often not accessing necessary services due to fear of re-traumatisation,” Professor Larkin said.
The Healing Foundation report makes 19 recommendations as part of National Healing Package for Stolen Generations survivors across six areas – on reparations, rehabilitation and research, records, family tracing and reunions, acknowledgements and apologies, education and training, and monitoring and accountability.
Shannan Dodson said the new report sent a clear message about the need for an urgent and coordinated response that all political parties, all governments, organisations and anyone in contact with Stolen Generations survivors can progress to achieve real change and practical solutions for survivors.
“There must also be ongoing support to the many Stolen Generations organisations across the country that have the expertise and knowledge to provide holistic, culturally safe, and traumainformed responses to the needs of survivors.”
Professor Larkin said the failure to act on the Bringing them home recommendations over almost 30 years created further trauma and distress for the Stolen Generations, their families and wider communities.
“Now is the time for a comprehensive and systemic response to address survivors’ pressing and complex needs,” Professor Larkin said.
“We must act before it is too late.” The 1997 Bringing them home report documented the impact of forced removal on individuals, families and communities and the complex needs of survivors
Key Facts:
The report reveals:
• only 5 out of 83 Bringing them home report recommendations have been clearly implemented (6%)
• 45 have failed to be implemented (54%)
• 11 recommendations are categorised as a qualified pass
• 10 are classified as a partial failure
• the status for 10 of the recommendations is unclear, and one is no longer applicable
About us:
The Healing Foundation is a national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisation that partners with communities to address the ongoing trauma caused by actions like the forced removal of children from their families. Our work helps people create a different future.
Contact details:
Raina Hunter – 0402 145 820 or raina.hunter@healingfoundation.org.a
