The Bringing them Home Report was released 25 years ago today. The Greens are renewing calls for a national compensation scheme: a $200 000 payment plus additional $7000 for funeral expenses to compensate for the harm inflicted by successive Australian Governments.
“They stole our children to break our people. No Government has ever brought peace to survivors of the stolen generation.” Said The Greens spokesperson for Justice and First Nations: Gunnai, Gunditjmara and DjabWurrung Senator Lidia Thorpe.
“Our pain continues and we can see that today. My mum was a co-commissioner on the Inquiry in the 90s. Just this week, she was giving testimony at the coronial inquest of a Gunditjmara, Dja Dja Wurrung, Wiradjuri and Yorta Yorta woman who died in police custody. We need to break the cycle and stop the trauma.”
“It’s been 25 years since the Bringing Them Home report recommended that a National Compensation Fund be established to adequately compensate survivors. This is far too important to be patchy and inconsistent across state lines.”
“How many of our people have died since the Report was released? How much longer do our people have to wait for the Report’s recommendations to be implemented?”
“Sorry means you don’t do it again. Today, there’s more First Nations kids in out of home care now than when Kevin Rudd apologised to the Stolen Generations. We call on the Albanese Government to compensate survivors and stop a new Stolen Generation.”
“It’s time for truth, Treaty and Blak justice.” Said Thorpe.