The Western Australia state government has introduced a reparations program aimed at the “Stolen Generations,” referring to Indigenous children who were forcibly removed from their families under policies that began in the early 1900s and continued into the 1970s. This decision follows years of advocacy by First Nations communities.
Aboriginal individuals who were taken from their families in Western Australia before July 1972 will be eligible for a payment of A$85,000 (US$55,000). This initiative comes after the 1997 “Bringing Them Home” report by Australia’s Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, which examined the policies responsible for creating the Stolen Generations. The report concluded that these policies aimed to “eliminate Indigenous cultures as distinct entities” and could be considered “genocidal.” It recommended compensating those affected by such removals.
Western Australia historically had the highest rate of child removals during this period and is now one of the last states to offer reparations. Queensland remains the only state yet to provide compensation.
A recent Human Rights Watch report highlighted ongoing issues with child protection practices contributing to disproportionate removals of Aboriginal children. In Western Australia, Aboriginal children are over 20 times more likely than non-Indigenous children to be in state care. The report linked these high removal rates to unresolved impacts from past policies, affecting many descendants of the Stolen Generations.
A grandmother, whose grandsons were recently taken into care, shared her experience with Human Rights Watch, noting her family has faced six generations of child removals. She expressed that while monetary compensation cannot fully address their suffering, it offers her family housing stability.
The reparations program is viewed as an essential step towards justice for those whose rights were violated. However, it is suggested that Western Australia’s government should not see reparations as a complete solution but rather as an opportunity to address ongoing harms affecting Stolen Generations’ descendants. This includes tackling current child protection issues and implementing strategies to reduce Aboriginal children’s overrepresentation in state care.
