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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2017-09-26 Daily Xml
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Question Time

Stolen Generations Reparations Scheme

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Employment, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation, Minister for Automotive Transformation, Minister for Science and Information Economy) (15:05): In relation to the honourable member's question, as I have spoken about a number of times in this chamber, the state government has set up a Stolen Generations Reparations Scheme that has two main parts: an individual reparations component and, importantly, a community reparations component.

It is the case that not all members of the stolen generations have passed. It's not a chapter from our long distant history. The forced removal of Aboriginal children from their families, from their community and their country was done openly and often right up to the 1970s. That's in the lifetime of most of the people in this chamber.

I know some people who are of a similar age to me who had their whole lives turned upside down simply because they were of Aboriginal heritage. These people not only lost the warm and loving care of their family, they often lost complete connection and knowledge of their country, their heritage and their Aboriginality.

The introduction of the Stolen Generations Reparations Scheme was a significant step in South Australia's reconciliation journey, one which provides for individual reparations but also enables for stories to be told, a critical part of the healing process.

As damaging as the removal of a child was to that individual, the wider damage and flow-on effect is often a heartache endured by everyone in that community. Many Aboriginal communities right across South Australia were left to pick up the pieces and it was not unusual for answers never to be received about the whereabouts of loved ones. Many parents, uncles and aunties passed away without ever knowing what happened to much loved family or community members. Then, of course, there is the intergenerational trauma that continues right up until today.

Earlier this year, at the Apology Breakfast I announced that the state government was opening expressions of interest for the community fund for the Stolen Generations Reparations Scheme for projects up to $100,000. A community consultation process identified many project themes, including recording personal and community histories, family history research, healing and support initiatives, arts and cultural activities, community education, memorials and places of reflection. Expressions of interest were requested for projects to recognise the grief, pain and loss experienced by communities and families and also to support a range of proposals that can assist in the healing process.

More than 70 submissions were made and assessed by an independent panel of Aboriginal South Australians. I particularly want to place on record my thanks to Brian Butler, Christine Doolan, Christine Egan, Harry Miller and Kim Morey for their contribution to this process as the panel who assessed these submissions.

The panel recommended grants totalling $1.25 million in this first round to the following organisations: Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia, Aboriginal Lands Trust, Ara Irititja Aboriginal Corporation, Ardagula Aboriginal Corporation, City of Adelaide, City of Playford, Dusty Feet Mob, Judy Beyer auspiced by the Blackwood Reconciliation Group, Journey of Healing, Catholic Education SA, Marula Aboriginal Corporation, Murray Bridge High School, Nexus Arts, Ngarrindjeri Lands and Progress Association, Point Pearce Aboriginal Corporation, Raukkan Community Council, Relationships Australia (SA), SA Museum, Stolen Sisters and Wami Kata Old Folks Home.

I had the pleasure of visiting Murray Bridge High School last week for the announcement of $92,202 of funding for their project on recording oral histories of stolen generation members in the community. The project will connect young people with their elders and provide a valuable educational experience for both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students and members of the wider community about what happened to members of the stolen generations and their families. Also in this part of our state, the Ngarrindjeri Lands and Progress Association was successful in their bid for a project of preserving and making accessible Ngarrindjeri photographs, documents and stories.

I was at Camp Coorong late last year with Auntie Ellen Trevorrow and Auntie Eunice Aston and other female elders when they came together with dozens and dozens of photos, many from early last century, wondering the best way to preserve these photos for future generations. Seeing the vast collections of photos that day, many that had not been seen by most members of the community, much less members of the stolen generations, and the visual connection the family members who were taken away had with those photos remains a very vivid memory.

Projects like this—projects that help with healing—wouldn't be able to be completed without this funding. I look forward to visiting other successful applicants in different parts of this state over the next few months and seeing their important projects come to fruition. Given the very strong interest in the fund, we will quickly open up further rounds of funding in the near future. I look forward to updating the chamber on the progress of these.

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