Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In the late 1800s most of the fertile land had been taken and most Aboriginal people
were living in poverty on the fringes of settlements or on land unsuitable for settlement.
Aboriginal people had to adapt to the new culture but were treated like second-class cit-
izens. Employment opportunities were scarce and most people worked as labourers or
domestic staff. This disadvantage has continued and even though successive government
policies and programs have been implemented to assist Aboriginal people most have not
made much impact on improving lives.
THE STOLEN GENERATION
When Australia became a Federation in 1901, a set of government polices known as
the 'White Australia Policy' was put in place. These were implemented to restrict
nonwhite immigration to Australia but the policy also impacted on Aboriginal Aus-
tralia. Assimilation into the broader society was 'encouraged' by all sectors of gov-
ernment with the intent to eventually fade out the Aboriginal race. A policy of for-
cibly removing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families
was official from 1909 to 1969 although the practice was happening before and
after those years. There is no real estimate of how many children were taken as few
records remain. It is estimated that around 100,000 Aboriginal children (or one in
three children) were taken from their families.
A special government agency, The Aborigines Protection Board, was set up to
manage the policy and had the power to remove children without consent from
families or without a court order. Many of the children never saw their families
again and those that did manage to find their way home often found it difficult to
maintain relationships. The generations of children who were taken from their fam-
ilies became known as the stolen generations.
In the 1990s the Australian Human Rights Commission held an inquiry into the
practice of removing Aboriginal children. The 'Bring Them Home' report was
tabled in parliament in May 1997 and told of the devastating impact that these po-
lices had on the children and their families. Governments, churches and welfare
bodies all took part in the forced removal. Sexual and physical abuse and cruelty
was common in many of the institutions where children were placed. Today many
of the stolen generations still suffer trauma associated with their early lives.
On 13 February 2008, the then prime minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd, offered a
national apology to the stolen generations. For many Aboriginal people it was the
start of a national healing process and today there are a number of programs and
organisations working with the stolen generations.
