Sorry Day 2021

Tuesday 26th May 2021 is the 24th Anniversary of the tabling of the Bringing Them Home Report in the Commonwealth Parliament. This landmark Report by the Australian Human Rights Commission was the culmination of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families.

Bringing Them Home WA (BTH) and the WA Stolen Generations Aboriginal Corporation (WASGAC) would normally be jointly hosting a major commemorative event at Wellington Square, but due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, particularly for the schoolchildren who normally attend our event, we have again developed an online “event” in partnership with Curtin University. This “online event”, which features interviews with Stolen Generations Survivors and related documentaries from Curtin’s Noongar Dandjoo television program will be accessible from the morning of Sorry Day by clicking on the following link: https://youtu.be/c-QhJFjXYgA

However, WASGAC Managing Director, Jim Morrison, expressed concern on this anniversary that Governments have still not acknowledged the widespread impact of Stolen Generations policies on the Aboriginal community in Western Australian.
“Soon to be released research has highlighted the astonishing statistic that approximately 50% of the Aboriginal population in Western Australia are either Stolen Generations Survivors or their descendants.”
“Sadly, there is ongoing trauma associated with their removal from families and the intergenerational trauma that impacts on their children and grandchildren. These Stolen Generations Survivors are still looking for psychological support and long-term strategies for healing and Governments are not responding to this significant need”.

BTH Co-Chair, Tony Hansen, a Stolen Generations Survivor from Marribank Mission, added: “The other priority issue for Stolen Generations Survivors is the ongoing fight for justice! Survivors who suffered sexual abuse have options open to them to pursue compensation through the Redress Scheme established as a result of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse or through the Civil Courts, but this comes with the added burdens associated with re-traumatisation”.
“It is time for Commonwealth and State Governments to consider the Bringing Them Home Report Recommendations 3 and 4 which proposed compensation or reparation for all Survivors to acknowledge the trauma associated with removal from their families and loss of culture. The NSW, Tasmanian, South Australian and Victorian Governments have all established compensation schemes and Survivors in WA, where the impact of removal policies was most profound, are still waiting!”
“As we commemorate the 24th Anniversary of the Bringing Them Home Report, it is time for the WA Government to stand up and acknowledge the unfinished business associated with the Bringing Them Home Report, Mr Hansen concluded.

Further comment: Jim Morrison 0408 917 133 or Tony Hansen 0417 610 412