The Apology to the Stolen Generations in the Commonwealth Parliament in Canberra on Wednesday, February 13th, was the culmination of a long struggle for acknowledgement of the injustices done to Aboriginal people in this country since the arrival of Europeans in the late eighteenth century. Many Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families and communities up until the 1970’s. Most Aboriginal families have been affected by these policies with estimates that between one in three and one in ten Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families and communities between 1910 and 1970.
From a personal perspective, this issue looms large in every day of my life. My father was one of 19 siblings and my mother was in a family of six. All of those children were removed from their parents and placed in institutions such as the infamous Moore River Settlement north of Perth or the Carrolup Settlement near Katanning. The effects of that discriminatory practice have continued to be felt through the generations and coupled with discriminatory policies in relation to housing, health and education has resulted in a seventeen year gap in life expectancy between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. That has been tragically brought home to me in the past two months as 12 family members or close friends have passed away!
A National Inquiry into the separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander Children from their families, was undertaken by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) between 1995 and 1997. It is worth noting that prominent West Australian Aboriginal activist, Rob Riley (who was my brother-in-law) was instrumental in the establishment of this inquiry but sadly committed suicide just prior to the Public Hearings scheduled in Perth as part of that Inquiry. His death tragically highlights the suffering and hurt inflicted on so many Aboriginal people as a result of the policy of removing children from their parents.
The final report was released in 1997 and is commonly referred to as the Bringing Them Home Report.
The Inquiry was undertaken by the former President of HREOC, Sir Ronald Wilson and the former Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Mick Dodson. The report provides a comprehensive overview of the effects of the laws and policies that encouraged the forcible removal of Aboriginal children from their families. There are many moving personal stories in the report that highlight the harsh nature of the institutional conditions they were forced to ensure, including at times excessive physical punishment and sexual abuse. Some of these stories were highlighted by the Prime Minister in his speech to the Parliament on 13th February.
It took more than ten years since the tabling of the report, for the Commonwealth Parliament to make an Apology as recommended in the Report, but it has been welcomed by Aboriginal people around the country and by groups such as the Bringing Them Home Committee here in Western Australia, which hosted the public event on the Esplanade to coincide with the Apology in Canberra.
As a Queer man as well as a Noongar man, I was proud to see the strong involvement of the queer community in Wednesday’s event in Perth. Alan Carter worked with me on the organising committee for the event and many members of the queer community attended – including Out in Perth Editor Zoe Carter!
There is still much work to be done to heal the hurt that has resulted from these past injustices but it is hoped that this Apology will mark the beginning of a commitment by all Australians to work together to bring about that healing and to promote reconciliation within our communities. If you would like to be involved keep an eye out for some of our Queers for Reconciliation events!
Jim Morrison
