Australia’s ‘Stolen Generation’ Although the practice officially ended in 1969,3 repercussions are still felt today. In 1997, the The term ‘the Stolen Generation’ refers to the Australian several generations of Indigenous Australians Opportunity Commission (now the Australian who were forcibly removed from their families Human Rights Commission) released the between the 1890s and 1970s.1 This policy of Bringing Them Home Report of the National forced removal took place at the hands of Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and governments, churches, and welfare bodies. Torres Strait Island Children from Their Most children were subsequently raised in Families, the result of a two-­‐year Inquiry institutions or fostered out to white families to established by the Commonwealth Attorney become ‘less Aboriginal’. Many never saw General. The Inquiry concluded that between their parents, siblings, or other relatives again. one in three to one in ten Indigenous children were removed from their families.4 A more The Impact on Indigenous Australia precise figure was not possible due to the poor As a result of the separation of generations of state of official records from the period. Indigenous Australians from their families and culture, they were not taught the language, One family interviewed by the Inquiry, Penny traditional knowledge, or spiritual practices of aged 10, Trevor aged 11, Murray aged 7, Judy their communities. In separating them from aged 6 and baby Olive were all separated from their families, it was hoped that Aboriginal their mother and step-­‐father by the Cairns culture would eventually disappear and that District Court in 1958 and placed in the State Australia would get rid of “the Aboriginal Children’s Orphanage. Penny said the problem”.2 experience was “as though someone had turned the lights out -­‐ a regimented existence The most devastating impact of these policies replacing our childhood innocence and frolics -­‐ is that almost every Indigenous Australian the sheer snugness, love, togetherness, safety family has in some way been affected. and comfort of four of us sleeping in one Human Rights and Equal 1
Racism no way, ‘Fact sheets: The Stolen Generations’. Available at http://www.racismnoway.com.au/teaching-­‐
resources/factsheets/52.html, accessed 4 October 2013. 2
2 Creative Spirits, ‘A guide to Australia’s Stolen Creative Spirits, ‘A guide to Australia’s Stolen Generations’. Available at: Generations’. Available at: http://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/p
olitics/a-­‐guide-­‐to-­‐australias-­‐stolen-­‐generations, accessed 4 October 2013. 3
Racism no way, ‘Fact sheets: The Stolen Generations’. Available at http://www.racismnoway.com.au/teaching-­‐
resources/factsheets/52.html, accessed 4 October 2013. 4
HREOC, Bringing Them Home. Available at: http://www.humanrights.gov.au/publications/bring
ing-­‐them-­‐home-­‐stolen-­‐children-­‐report-­‐1997, accessed 4 October 2013. 1 double bed -­‐ family! Strange how the bureaucracy adopts the materialistic yardstick The Report also found that those taken from when their families were more likely to come to the measuring 5
deprivation/poverty/neglect.” attention of the police, suffer from low self-­‐
esteem, depression and mental illness, were Baby Olive was taken elsewhere, and the more vulnerable to abuse, were unable to Children’s Department told the family she had retain links with their land, and could not take died in hospital of meningitis. However, in a role in the cultural and spiritual life of their 1984 Judy discovered she was in fact alive and former communities.7 had been taken to a foster family and given a new name. The Christmas of that year, most The Government Response of the family was reunited. This obviously had The Report made 54 recommendations, one huge implications on the lives of all involved. being that all Australian parliaments, including The stolen generation still sends shockwaves the Commonwealth, should apologise to the through families to this day. Stolen Generations.8 All State and Territory Governments have done so, and on 13 As noted, the adverse effects of forced February 2008, then Prime Minister Kevin removal are still felt today. As the Human Rudd moved a Motion of Apology to Rights Commission Report discovered, the Australia’s Indigenous Peoples through the resulting emotional Commonwealth House of Representatives. It damage renders many people less able to was the first time the Federal Government learn social skills and survival skills. Their acknowledged and took responsibility for the ability to operate successfully in the world is harm that had been caused. It was a hugely impaired educational important moment for many Indigenous achievement, unemployment and consequent Australians. As the National Sorry Day poverty. These in turn cause their own Committee observed, “Many members of the “psychological causing and low emotional distress leading some to perpetrate violence, self-­‐harm, substance abuse or anti-­‐
ing-­‐them-­‐home-­‐stolen-­‐children-­‐report-­‐1997, accessed 4 October 2013. 7
Racism no way, ‘Fact sheets: The Stolen Generations’. Available at http://www.racismnoway.com.au/teaching-­‐
resources/factsheets/52.html, accessed 4 October 2013. 8
HREOC, Bringing Them Home. Available at: http://www.humanrights.gov.au/publications/bring
ing-­‐them-­‐home-­‐stolen-­‐children-­‐report-­‐1997, accessed 4 October 2013. 6
social behaviour.” 5
HREOC, Bringing Them Home. Available at: http://www.humanrights.gov.au/publications/bring
ing-­‐them-­‐home-­‐stolen-­‐children-­‐report-­‐1997, accessed 4 October 2013. 6
HREOC, Bringing Them Home. Available at: http://www.humanrights.gov.au/publications/bring
2 Stolen Generations were present in the Chamber to hear the Apology and thousands Nonetheless, the long-­‐term impact of the more filled the Great Hall of Parliament House Stolen and flowed out onto the lawns to watch it on communities is clearly visible. The pain and big screens. The Apology was broadcast across trauma experienced during that time still Australia, bringing the country to a standstill.”9 haunts families, including the children and grandchildren of those who were taken. It will Despite this enormous step towards Generations on Indigenous be a long time before this dark period in reconciliation between white Australia and our Australia’s history can be forgotten. Indigenous communities, some Australians disagreed with the Apology and continue to Questions and Answers deny the existence of the Stolen Generations. 1) Why are the generations of Indigenous They dispute that there is any ‘proof’ of their Australians who were removed from existence, or claim that the children were “not their families called the ‘Stolen stolen, but rescued” from their dysfunctional Generations’? families and communities.10 On the other side, a. They were removed from their some argue that more children are being homes because they were not taken away today under different government as good as Australian buildings policies than during the entire period of the b. They were removed from their Stolen Generations.11 The 2007 Northern families as they were not fit to Territory ‘Emergency Response’ intervention raise children remains a controversial issue.12 c. They were taken from rural areas to the cities 9
The National Sorry Day Committee, ‘The apology to Australia’s Indigenous Peoples’. Available at: http://www.nsdc.org.au/events-­‐info/the-­‐apology-­‐
to-­‐australias-­‐indigenous-­‐peoples, accessed 4 October 2013. 10
Creative Spirits, ‘A guide to Australia’s Stolen Generations’. Available at: http://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/p
olitics/a-­‐guide-­‐to-­‐australias-­‐stolen-­‐generations, accessed 4 October 2013. 11
Creative Spirits, ‘A guide to Australia’s Stolen Generations’. Available at: http://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/p
olitics/a-­‐guide-­‐to-­‐australias-­‐stolen-­‐generations, accessed 4 October 2013. 12
AHRC, ‘Social Justice Report 2007 – Chapter 3: The Northern Territory ‘Emergency Response’ Intervention’. Available at d. All of the above 2) What are some of the common long-­‐
term health effects experienced by members of the Stolen Generations? a. Fear of the government b. Psychological and emotional damage c. People not knowing language http://www.humanrights.gov.au/publications/socia
l-­‐justice-­‐report-­‐2007-­‐chapter-­‐3-­‐northern-­‐territory-­‐
emergency-­‐response-­‐intervention, accessed 4 October 2013. 3 d. People not knowing their culture 3) What are some of the justifications that have been made for the policies behind the Stolen Generations? a. Indigenous children were being abused by their families. b. Indigenous people were uncivilized and uneducated. c. Indigenous children needed to become ‘white’ so as to breed out Indigenous peoples d. The fear of Indigenous people waging war on white Australians 4) Why are the effects of the Stolen Generations described as ‘inter-­‐
generational’? a. Because it occurred over two generations b. Because it has taken more than one generation for people to overcome the hardships c. Because the impact of the stolen children was felt by more than one generation d. Because the policy was in tact for multiple generations 4