00:00There will be a redress scheme made available for living members of the Stolen Generations
00:07and that payment will be $85,000 for individuals.
00:12We're expecting registration to open up for that in the middle, or in the second half
00:16of the year and the payments to start commencing towards the later end of the year.
00:22But this is really a huge announcement for people in Western Australia, for survivors
00:27of the Stolen Generations, but also their families.
00:31We know that in Western Australia, more children were removed than anywhere else in the country.
00:38But essentially, this is a huge step towards reconciliation, in the words of the advocates
00:45that have spoken on this issue in the past and have been advocating for a redress scheme
00:50for survivors of the Stolen Generations.
00:52So as you say, this announcement follows years of advocacy, really is significant.
00:57It really is.
01:00It comes just a day after National Sorry Day, which marks the anniversary of the tabling
01:08of the Bringing Them Home report in federal parliament.
01:11That was tabled all the way back in, I believe, 1997.
01:15That report detailed a lot of the experiences and impacts of forced removal on Aboriginal and
01:21Torres Strait Islander children across Australia.
01:24Again, Western Australia had more children removed than anywhere else in the country.
01:30But until today, Western Australia and Queensland were actually the only jurisdictions without
01:35a redress scheme for survivors of the Stolen Generations.
01:39And this announcement essentially leaves Queensland as the only jurisdiction without.
01:45I spoke with a staunch advocate, a traditional custodian, a Noongar traditional custodian, Jim Morrison,
01:51just after the announcement was made.
01:54And he said that this is really a huge step of recognition.
01:59And it would go a long way towards starting to address some of those issues which disproportionately
02:05affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
02:08And in his words, he said that the reality is if there was some sort of recognition before
02:14now, he believes that the current removal rate of Aboriginal children wouldn't be as bad.
02:19But he believes that this announcement, this step, at least in Western Australia, is a sign of
02:30change here in Western Australia.
02:32Of course, we're still waiting to see if Queensland will follow suit with all the other state and
02:36territories in terms of putting in place a redress scheme for survivors of the Stolen Generations.
