Social Justice Report 1998 : Chapter 1: The Aftermath for Indigenous Peoples

Social Justice Report 1998

Chapter 1: The Aftermath for Indigenous Peoples

• Introduction

• A chance to be heard

• Gains in emotional strength

• Understanding each other

• Raising awareness in the Non-Indigenous community

• Some improvement in delivery of services

• Gaining an historical perspective

• Relief from guilt

• New pressures

• Coping with the responses from government

• The state of people's well being

• Ambivalence towards well-meaning non-Indigenous approaches

• The needs that have still to be met

• Link-Up

• A place to go

• Personal compensation

• The way forward

• Acknowledgements

Introduction

It has been worth it because the wider community is more aware of the issues and our history, but the opening of the old scars has been difficult. It's vital that the truth comes out, though.

Community Member, North Queensland.

These words capture some of the complexity of Indigenous responses to Bringing Them Home and to events since the conclusion of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their Families.

On one hand, Indigenous people welcomed the Inquiry and the recommendations of Bringing Them Home . A great deal that is positive has come from the Australian community's increased understanding of the full dimensions and human impact of separation policies. On the other hand, the exposure of intimate, personal experiences has awakened the pain for many people. Memories, stories of the past and fresh information have emerged from Indigenous communities, producing a range of reactions. While the heartfelt apologies of many Australians are deeply appreciated, the supportive responses of the non-Indigenous community are regarded with a degree of wariness by some Indigenous people. Doubts have been expressed about how enduring this support will prove to be.

This chapter is informed by an Indigenous perspective and is based on community consultation by staff of the Commission's Social Justice Unit. We endeavour to present the diversity of Indigenous responses to the Inquiry and events following the release of Bringing Them Home . However, the views expressed are a mere sampling and do not pretend to be exhaustive of Indigenous perspectives. Resources limited the number of people we were able to reach and talk with face to face. The substance of the chapter is guided by discussions with 70 Indigenous people variously located in Adelaide, Darwin, Launceston, Hobart, Perth, Brisbane, Cairns and Sydney. We are particularly grateful to those from rural areas who travelled to Perth, Adelaide and Launceston to offer their views. The people we spoke to were drawn from many walks of life: youth workers, community health workers, policy officers, social workers, elected Indigenous leaders, directors and chief executive officers of Indigenous organisations, legal officers, educators and community members. Some were people who had taken part in the Inquiry. Others were not directly involved.

Individual attitudes and views are, by their nature, diverse. We found regional differences were quite marked and, to an extent, reflected the perceived impact of the Report on the surrounding non-Indigenous community. However, the greatest variation arises out of the profoundly emotional and complex nature of the issues involved. The stories themselves, as well as the direct experiences of separation, are intensely felt. Family reunions and issues of identity; the immediate catharsis of telling 'your' story and the longer term emotional aftermath; apologies and criticism of the Inquiry and its recommendations; the responses of governments and Sorry Day ceremonies: all these evoked complex and, at times, ambivalent responses.

People repeatedly expressed just how widespread and enduring is the suffering caused by the forced removal of children and the separation of families. The damage began a long time ago and continues to resonate in the physical, spiritual, emotional and mental health of Indigenous communities. We found relief, expectation, and a sense of completion, anger, frustration, despair, determination, resilience and courage. This chapter provides an inadequate, but necessary, medium for the direct expression of Indigenous responses.

I am so glad I lived long enough to see this day, in my whole life I have never felt so loved as I do today.

Indigenous Elder, New South Wales, on Sorry Day.

To know who you are, where you are from and to whom you belong is a basic human entitlement. It is essential to the realisation of the 'dignity and worth of the human person' which underpins the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Many Indigenous people report that with participation in the Inquiry, and the release of Bringing Them Home , their deprivation of this fundamental entitlement was at least acknowledged, if not restored.

The violation of rights can be compensated. Reparation for the abuse of human rights is essential to justice. Yet, at a more fundamental level, the separation of children from their families is separation from a unique form of love that can never be restored. Formal apology for what is irretrievably lost is part of making amends and assuaging the pain. However, there is something beyond apology. It was found in the quality of concern and genuine sorrow expressed by so many Australians - a kind of grace which moved many of us to feel our potential to make peace with the past and find the basis for a new relationship between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous people of this country.

It was experienced, perhaps momentarily, in some Sorry Day events: in parks and local halls; public rallies and small gatherings. It was stimulated by the information provided in Bringing Them Home , but it was given substance by the human warmth of those present. The experience of a kind of restorative love, which some Indigenous people felt, is the highest achievement flowing from the Inquiry.

A chance to be heard

Indigenous people are receiving an ability to recover because they feel validated now that their stories have been heard, believed and recorded.

Senior Project Officer, South Australia

The Inquiry gave people a chance to speak of their experiences and have them recorded in a formal way. Many people spoke of how good it felt to finally tell someone and be believed; to tell someone and be listened to with attention and concern; to tell someone who felt empathy and did not blame them. The private burdens of individual, isolated stories were lifted as they were cast into a collective framework revealing the patterns of government policies. One of the women who gave her submission to the Inquiry spoke of how frustrated she had felt for years, trying not only to tell people of her experiences, but also to have them recognise that this practice was official policy. Others spoke of a simple sense of relief when at last their stories could be told and recorded.

Within many Indigenous communities the process of telling the stories is considered one of the most important events of recent Australian history.

Gains in emotional strength

It was good for most people to be able to get this stuff off their chest…psychologically, it's been good for most to get it out and be heard by officials.

Community Health Executive, Western Australia

Sharing stories with each other has given Indigenous people strength. This capacity to gain strength from each other has held good for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in periods of difficulty throughout history.

An Indigenous youth worker spoke of his stronger motivation to stand up to racism, particularly among colleagues, because he feels there is an increased awareness and understanding developing, as demonstrated by events such as Sorry Day. He said, 'challenging colleagues on their attitudes towards Indigenous clients is paying off.'

Some Indigenous people struggling to deal with their feelings said they left rallies and public meetings with a sense of greater support both at an individual and community level.

Removed people have been searching for their history and visiting places of significance to their family for many years, but since the release of Bringing Them Home the number encouraged to do so has increased.

Understanding each other

It has opened the doors for family members to come home - removed individuals understand more now and don't blame as much - forgiveness comes through reunion.

Senior Project Officer, South Australia.

The most immediate, direct benefit of the Inquiry for many people who participated was to bring families together again. There were times during hearings when family members who had been separated from each other were all gathered in the same room for the first time since childhood. The intense emotions, sense of relief and comfort were sometimes overpowering. The process of reunion and the feeling of belonging is a critical part of the process of gaining and improving self-esteem through a stronger sense of identity.

The issue of identity is rendered complex by the very different experiences of those who were taken and those who remained with their families and communities. A young Aboriginal woman who has invested much energy in looking into her family background, said that the Report had opened doors for her to come into and be accepted within her community. She said she had always felt there were 'classes' of Aboriginality, but the Report helped her understand why people have such different experiences and such cultural gaps in their lives. One of her sisters had always associated Aboriginality with negative stereotypes to the extent that she found it difficult to identify herself as Aboriginal. Since reading the Report, she has felt the positive value and the healing that identification can bring.

Other people also related how Bringing Them Home has assisted in educating people about apparent and real divisions within Aboriginal communities. It has helped people understand the diverse range of experiences of other Indigenous people and to place them in context.

The Aboriginal community around here has always known where most of their families were but there was always this barrier, an inability to interact with each other. The re-association process was always difficult but is slowly becoming easier thanks to Bringing Them Home.

Manager, Land Council, Tasmania

The information gathered in our discussions demonstrated that the Inquiry and its Report helped many people recognise the relationship between separation and forced removal and problems they might have with issues such as identity, family violence, substance abuse, parenting difficulties, depression and offending behaviours.

An Aboriginal psychologist who had the opportunity to run some workshops following the Inquiry commented that finding out about people's particular backgrounds helped to develop an understanding as to why some family members had taken certain paths, especially in relation to damaging behavioural patterns such as physical, emotional, drug and alcohol abuse. While the precise relationship between childhood experiences and subsequent behaviour is an individual matter, the appreciation of the widespread impact and cumulative effects on families and communities became clearer through the Report's identification of the systematic application of separation policies. The burden of individual history was lifted into a new perspective.

The benefit of new perspectives was by no means confined to Indigenous people.

Raising awareness in the non-Indigenous community

Non-Indigenous people may have reaped the biggest benefits from all of this. Murris who have opened up and told of their experiences have opened the eyes of the non-Indigenous community who may not have realised the extent of removal that took place and the effects that have resulted from this. There is a responsibility that goes along with this knowledge that all Australian families and communities should respond to.

Community Organisation Manager, North Queensland

Often when Indigenous issues receive particular attention, there are some in the wider community who become resentful and hostile. The notion that Abstudy is an unwarranted, special program is one example of this attitude. Intemperate reactions to the Wik decision is another. However, on the issue of the removal of children, there was a sense of much greater understanding and greater vocal and visible support from non-Indigenous Australians.

One clear reason as to why Bringing Them Home was received so well by the broader Australian community was suggested by a woman who made a submission to the Inquiry. She felt that many mothers in the wider community were supportive because of their ability to imagine what it might feel like to have their own children stolen from them.

Other opinions reinforced this view. It was perceived that the effects of breaking the relationship between mother and child, as distinct from the relationship between people and the land, is an issue with which non-Indigenous people can directly identify and feel compassion.

Many Indigenous people we spoke to said that they know many non-Indigenous people with good intentions who are trying to respond appropriately to the Report and this is deeply appreciated. They felt that relationships have been strengthened during the activities and acknowledgements that have taken place since Bringing Them Home . The apologies made by so many governments, churches and ordinary Australians; the Sorry books, rallies and other events of Sorry Day; the discussion of wider issues connected to separation, have all been important steps in the healing process and the road to improved relationships.

Support by non-Indigenous people has flowed on into other areas. Despite the existence of substantial opposition, there is increased support for the protection of native title and an increased appreciation of the significance of reconciliation. These issues have merged together in movements such as Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation.

An Aboriginal youth worker said that his opinion of non-Indigenous people has changed since the publicity surrounding Bringing Them Home . He talked about how some of the publicity had stirred up anger, but that the positive and compassionate responses that had come from many people demonstrated that the human quality of the Report had helped to break down negative attitudes towards Indigenous Australians and to dispel a lot of ignorance. This has been encouraging, particularly when he sees his non-Indigenous colleagues trying to look at things differently and showing more understanding when they work with young Aboriginal people.

There is evidence of specific changes in attitudes. Part of the evidence to the Inquiry, given by a member of the Aboriginal Women's Legal Resource Centre, stated that: 'there have been a lot of Aboriginal women over the last 10 to 15 years who have been labelled with mental illness, with mental health disorders. I believe, through information from the Department of Health, that those women did not have psychotic episodes or anything like that: that it was part of them not knowing who they were, and struggling within themselves, [that] has caused women to have breakdowns ... they have actually been labelled as schizophrenic, psychotic, when that really isn't the truth of what's happening for them.' Enhanced knowledge of the widespread experience of removal and its psychological impact, particularly on the construction of identity, has not only deepened the understanding of individual cases but has assisted in the design and delivery of more effective community programs.

In Darwin we heard how family history research has increased since the release of the Report and that non-Indigenous staff involved are now noticeably more interested in the work and helpful with Indigenous clients. This is doubly beneficial through the inter-relationship of both factors: because the environment is more supportive and comfortable, Aboriginal people are more willing to use the service.

This example, drawn from our consultations in Darwin, is representative of a wider phenomenon. Many people commented that increased awareness of issues by non-Indigenous Australians has produced new understanding and fresh attitudes that, in turn, have produced many positive, cumulative effects. These effects are primarily found in better Indigenous/non-Indigenous relations, but they are wide reaching and can offer new reflections on issues such as self-image and identity.

A young Aboriginal person described how he still has relatives who are reluctant to identify with their Aboriginality, but he has noticed that their attitudes are beginning to change some in the Australian Community have responded empathetically. They have begun to feel as though they do have a place and a valid story to tell.

Some people felt embraced by the wider community they live in and for the first time able to actively participate in the life of their town. For others, it has meant that strangers come up to them in the street, in restaurants or in shops to explain all their reasons for not apologising: not a welcome intrusion. It must also be said that, while many Indigenous people are conscious of greater support, this shift is viewed against a wider backdrop.

A lot of non-Indigenous people have shown support for us, they have demonstrated that through their tears and grief and frustration but they are also at a loss as to what to do. They're a minority though - racism is still rampant.

Child Placement Manager, South Australia

An Aboriginal woman who works with Indigenous people to build their emotional well-being said that she has enjoyed watching Aboriginal people increase their trust of non-Indigenous people since Bringing Them Home . The change of heart demonstrated by non-Indigenous people has encouraged some Indigenous people to feel as though they have a reason to respond positively. However, this is a tentative position.

Some improvement in delivery of services

Big wounds have been opened and now it's become a national wound. There is so much emotional pain - what is being done to help the wound to heal, what support is there?

Counsellor, Western Australia

This question reflects a major concern that has been frequently expressed. It is perceived by some that counselling services currently available are inadequate, both in supply and structure, to meet the needs of those affected by separation.

In Western Australia, it was felt that awareness of Indigenous health issues was assisted by Bringing Them Home . We heard that there have been shifts in attitudes, and although the change is relatively slight, some tangible benefits in service delivery have been observed in some areas.

It is said by some that the Report has given Indigenous people more confidence to share their experiences, which has been beneficial to service providers. Those in human services have been able to use this information to improve their practices and deliver more relevant services. The publicity surrounding the Report, public gatherings, discussion and public comment relating to the effects of separation has resulted in human service workers gaining a better insight into the issues so they can work with Indigenous communities in more productive ways.

Gaining an historical perspective

My Nan was removed, and I didn't know that before, particularly in terms of what that meant…

Student, New South Wales

Bringing Them Home has played an important role in educating those Indigenous people who were not fully aware of what happened, how widespread separation and forced removal was. In some families, experiences had been kept secret because of the pain of remembering. In some communities, people had felt these experiences were limited to their particular region. The Report provided a depth and perspective that was not previously available to many Indigenous people. It is very important, particularly for young people, to gain an understanding of the experiences of their elders, together with the spiritual and social placement of their families.

Before the release of Bringing Them Home , many young people did not fully understand the legacy affecting their lives. Older Indigenous people expressed the view that a lot of younger community members feel personally responsible for all their problems and this is reinforced by some non-Indigenous people. They said that the Report has assisted young Indigenous people to improve their knowledge and understanding of their community history: to help them gain better insight and a wider view.

Relief from guilt

For some Indigenous people, they are just realising for the first time that what happened to them was not their fault, that it was due to Government policy. They have stopped blaming themselves so much but then they feel sadness because their whole lives have been destroyed. They wished they'd discovered this much earlier.

Psychologist, Western Australia

50 year old men are still coming to terms with traumatic experience - only just realising now why they have had the various problems they've had all their lives with drugs, alcohol and parenting difficulties. They have carried guilt for the years of hardship their families endured because of this.

Psychologist, Western Australia

During our meetings it was frequently reported that the wider recognition of the effects of past treatment is facilitating recovery. Until there was some recognition of the broader causes and pattern of events, people somehow felt they were exclusively and individually to blame. Understanding the effects of removal does not diminish personal responsibility for present actions, but it places them in context. The sense of personal guilt for something that one had no power over is similar to the sense of responsibility and guilt sometimes experienced by children whose parents divorce. The acknowledgement of the legacy that removal and separation leaves has been a benefit to people at a personal level in trying to make sense of their lives.

At another level, there have always been those who refuse to recognise the relationship between current disadvantage and past government policies in relation to Indigenous people, but the information and discussion raised by the Inquiry makes this far more difficult to dispute. The compound impact of the policies of separation and assimilation wreaked enormous damage on the social cohesion of Indigenous communities throughout Australia.

In particular, artificial 'communities' on missions and government settlements were created, bringing people from many different places to the traditional lands of other people. The cultural relationships and family structures that gave identity, cohesion and meaning to social life were severely damaged or destroyed. Connections to the people and places of origin were lost, and these losses were exacerbated by education designed to strip children of their language and culture and to denigrate the very identity which was the cause of their removal.

Identity is a fundamental issue and the process of establishing it has not been easy for many. One woman recounted that, after the Inquiry, she had been told to go back to where she came from, even though she does not know where that is. All she is able to connect with as a result of her experience of institutionalisation is a place and a community that does not acknowledge her as a member. She now feels she does not belong anywhere. In our meetings, we discovered this experience is not uncommon.

Another woman described the pain and confusion she feels from belonging to a family where only some of the siblings identify as Aboriginal and others do not. Reconciling identity under these circumstances has interfered with once close relationships. It has created rifts in this particular family which is tremendously painful.

Subsequent to the Inquiry, people spoke of their gratitude towards Indigenous communities, which had embraced them and their different backgrounds. Previously, some had often experienced exclusion from their local Indigenous communities, they had feelings of not fitting in anywhere, in either the Indigenous community or the non-Indigenous community. Intense confusion and feelings of guilt about identity have, to some extent, been relieved.

New pressures

How do you de-brief after 30 to 40 years of pain?

Community Health Executive, Western Australia

It took 26 years for me to find out my identity and where I'm from. The pain is still there, still strong and alive. Sorry Day has raised this pain for people all over again. Just when we were beginning to get on top of it. There remains scarring that can't be dealt with within time frames that funding bodies and Government set, it's just not realistic.

Trainer, South Australia

In constant tension with the perception of constructive outcomes, were responses by Indigenous people which emphasised the anger, disappointment, frustration and pain experienced as the aftermath of Bringing Them Home . In some ways people felt that the impact of the Inquiry and its Report is an extra weight on the shoulders of those who have carried the damaging legacy of forced removal and separation from their families and communities.

The lack of counselling services to help those who were emotionally distressed during the making of submissions was a major complaint about the Inquiry process. It was felt the Inquiry was under-resourced and consequently some participants said they felt 'ripped off' yet again. The absence of a trained mediator being consistently available during the Inquiry was interpreted as a reflection on the value of the experiences under consideration. It was felt that the effect of telling stories on the well-being of participants was underestimated.

There hasn't been enough follow-up, support or de-briefing - the process of the Inquiry stuffed people up, people were exposing themselves in ways they hadn't before and then the Inquiry moved on.

Senior Project Officer, South Australia

There is a strong feeling that the Inquiry aggravated a lot of old scars and that some people were now hurting more. This result is balanced against the achievement of recording the stories of removal and the benefit of communicating the full impact of the laws, policies and practices of assimilation to the Australian community. However, this sense of achievement is undercut by a growing perception that the wider community now feels the issue is over and done with - while for Indigenous people the repercussions of separation remain.

There was much frustration expressed at the lack of progress in many areas, particularly in relation to services and the lack of money for them. There was deep disappointment with the attitude of the Australian Government and the view by some that most government initiatives in response to the recommendations of the Report were 'mere tokenism'.

There were ambivalent feelings about the value of some community activities such as Sorry Day, the Sorry books and the entire notion of reconciliation. Though some people welcomed the positive aspects of these things, others lamented that Sorry Day provoked expressions of prejudice and gave racism a new focus. The contempt that some non-Indigenous people expressed towards the notion of apologising caused a great deal of distress.

Coping with the responses from government

When Howard didn't apologise, this was heart breaking for many, a harsh dismissal.

Indigenous Liaison Officer, North Queensland

We found the reaction of Indigenous people to some government responses following the release of Bringing Them Home was, predominantly, one of intense disappointment mingled with great sadness and anger. People frequently expressed the view that the Australian Government had simply dismissed, and attempted to discredit, the Report. This gave an impression that the truth was being avoided and that the experiences of many Indigenous people in this country were discounted and belittled. Many saw the lack of what they considered to be an appropriate federal government response as indicating a determination not to do anything that may seem to show any understanding or compassion for Indigenous Australians.

We encountered a strong belief that, at the very least, symbolically, an apology from the Prime Minister on behalf of the nation would have demonstrated leadership committed to bringing Indigenous and non-Indigenous people of Australia closer together. Many thought that the Government was content for Indigenous issues to be misunderstood by the public even though this was highly detrimental to community well-being and the reconciliation process.

There were, as always, different readings of events. Some people felt that the Prime Minister's personal apology was a step in the right direction. The predominant response, however, was an amalgam of disappointment, anger and hurt. Many stated that the Government is comfortable to fully acknowledge the weight of other terrible events in our history, yet appeared to dismiss the removal of Indigenous children as merely an unfortunate occurrence of the past. Justification of the intentions behind the policies of separation seemed to outweigh any acceptance of responsibility on behalf of the Australian State for the actual effects of these policies and the devastation caused to the lives of so many Indigenous children and their families.

The word sorry still needs to come from the top. What's mostly required is attitudinal change.

Educational Executive Officer, Adelaide

A New South Wales social worker commented that for many Indigenous people, the Prime Minister's response had caused great distress, and was very disheartening. She said that people would call her and say things like 'what's the point of going on?'

It was commonly reported that feelings about the federal government's refusal to give a national apology were focussed quite personally and directly on the Prime Minister, despite broad media coverage of similar views by others within and outside government. Yet others conveyed that they were less concerned about the Prime Minister's reactions than those in the community in which they lived. It was expressed that local responses are equally as important as national ones, and in fact, more relevant to their lives. Some people said that they would not allow the lack of an apology from the Prime Minister to enable non-Indigenous people to negate their personal responsibility to take action.

Public debate about the lack of a national apology by the federal government made it extremely difficult for Indigenous people working in government positions. They reported that elders in their communities expected them to make the Government 'see sense'. For many of these people, trying to be balanced about what action to take as well as endeavouring to educate their colleagues, has taken its toll.

The recent and current political climate has interfered with the impact that the Report could have had … The political backlash has been detrimental.

Educational Executive Officer, South Australia.

There is a pronounced sense of 'too much buck-passing' about the Inquiry's recommendations between the State and Commonwealth levels of government. Both appear to be waiting for the other to take decisive action and set a standard. One man said he is feeling like a political football: as though the life chances of his family are dependent on the whims of politicians.

Paradoxically, Indigenous people advocating change within bureaucracies have found themselves criticised for being too 'political', and this has been a more prevalent response since the release of Bringing Them Home . Nevertheless, most Indigenous people interviewed thought that politics and responses to the issues raised by the Inquiry and recommendations are closely intertwined.

You can't separate politics and healing.

Psychologist, Western Australia

…nothing much has changed yet.

Community Member, North Queensland

Many felt the slow progress towards any tangible results for communities was directly due to the political climate. Workloads of agencies that deal specifically with Indigenous clients have definitely increased in areas dealing with forced removal and identity matters.

Worries about how counselling services will be set up once funding is distributed are widespread.

In general, scepticism towards the federal government's attitude, and doubts about the implementation of the recommendations of the Inquiry, sum up the mood of the Indigenous people who were interviewed. The federal government's response to Bringing Them Home committing $63 million over 4 years seemingly had little effect on this mood.

The total government approach to all Indigenous issues makes life difficult. $63 million over 4 years is only replacing what this government has already removed from other Indigenous programs. The criteria for funding mean that people who need it won't get it.

Community worker, South Australia.

The state of people's well being

The public hearings were difficult - personal business became public property.

Community Activist, Northern Territory

As soon as people had participated in the hearings, they were left feeling depleted - they gave of themselves, went back in time and now it's supposed to be over.

Community Health Education Worker, Northern Territory

Despite the positive results we have noted, there were those who felt that in the twelve months or more since the release of the Report, the well-being of the Indigenous community has been depleted. While there was great excitement and joy experienced initially in the reunion of families, the longer term complexities of reunions were often traumatic. We heard of siblings who felt little or no connection with each other, particularly when they have spent their lives identifying their backgrounds differently. This is especially true for some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are fair-skinned and who may feel isolated from their home community. Given that the light colour of a child's skin was a criteria for removal, this is not an uncommon experience. Some of those we spoke with explained that they coped well for a time, then unexpectedly broke down months later.

People spoke of their experiences at the Inquiry as including awkward moments - reunited families not knowing exactly what to do, whether to shake hands or embrace, trying to fathom the intimacy of their relationship with people who were effectively strangers. Others spoke of Sorry Day as being difficult, and compared it to the unveiling of child sexual abuse or domestic violence. There was an intense sense of public exposure and vulnerability.

Grief and loss are inadequate words for what people experience.

Psychologist, Western Australia

The destructive long term effects on Indigenous people removed were operative long before the Inquiry brought them to attention: identity problems in particular are recognised to have repercussions in other areas such as mental health.

It's hard to pass on an identity to your children if you don't have your own identity sorted out.

Aboriginal Educational Project Officer, Western Australia

Although there was already acknowledgement that many Indigenous Australians suffer from anxiety and adjustment disorders, substance abuse, cognitive impairment in older people and conduct disorders in children, the fresh attention given to these matters since the release of the Report has affected Indigenous people deeply. Rather than alleviating these problems, the release of Bringing Them Home has, in some cases, had the effect of exacerbating them.

Depression, premature death, mental anguish - all common results of removal policy.

Community Health Executive, Western Australia

The process of emotional and psychological healing is not an easy one and it is compounded by the financial hardship people can suffer when these difficulties are brought to the surface. The longer term effects of the Inquiry and subsequent events has in some cases resulted in people leaving employment for extended periods.

One manager described the effects she had seen on Indigenous staff around her. Since the Inquiry, there have been many workshops, seminars and community meetings where people have had the opportunity or been encouraged to tell their personal story. Not everyone has been able to cope after these public forums. There are examples of people taking leave without pay, some have resigned because they are suffering depression, and others have resorted to substance abuse in an endeavour just to keep going.

A significant impact on Indigenous communities has resulted from the responses of the wider community to Bringing Them Home . In parallel to the feeling of support, there has been a deep sense of surrounding indifference, even hostility. Greatest disappointment was expressed at the dismissive response that emerged from certain sections of the community which seemed to expect Indigenous people to put everything behind them as if it had never happened, in blunt terms, to stop exaggerating and complaining.

People who gave evidence to the Inquiry were dismissed, judged, discredited. It is so important that those people have their experiences validated.

Social Worker, New South Wales.

Ambivalence towards well-meaning non-Indigenous approaches

A more complex response, heard repeatedly everywhere we visited, concerned reactions by non-Indigenous people which were perceived by Indigenous people as patronising. In their desire to be involved, some people it was said 'have gone overboard', resulting in embarrassing moments. Not everyone feels comfortable with intimate emotional expressions from strangers. In general this is regarded merely as a teething problem, but it demands patience, sensitivity and some restraint from all concerned.

Reactions to Sorry Day and the reconciliation process were profoundly ambivalent. While some people found them a source of encouragement, others strongly disagreed and considered that no reconciliation is possible until a national apology is made. The backlash experienced due to Sorry Day received wide media coverage. The case of a mother keeping her child home from a school where some activities were held was frequently mentioned. There was also a strong feeling that non-Indigenous people thought that once Sorry Day was over, then that was that. Many Indigenous people see the need for both Sorry Day and the reconciliation process, but recognise them as being fraught with the potential for superficial gestures. Until there is a genuine appreciation of the responsibility which goes with saying sorry and a substantial basis for reconciliation founded on the effective protection of Indigenous rights, both will continue to be viewed with a significant degree of scepticism.

The needs that have still to be met

It's wrong to get people to talk about their pain without a process in place to help with the healing.

Counsellor, Western Australia

People had many suggestions when asked about services to deal with the situation as it is now. It was emphasised that funding agencies and service providers should recognise the value of community-based activities. Community initiated support groups are valuable in many ways. Local community-based initiatives save service providers time and resources while meeting needs suited to the particular circumstances of different Indigenous groups. Suggestions were made regarding ways in which practical support could be provided, for example, taking elders out on tours to significant places where they can share yarns, have a laugh and thus undertake their own healing and consolidate cultural traditions eroded by separation policies.

The training of Indigenous staff to manage existing programs was considered to be too limited, especially where this training merely seeks to prepare Indigenous people to work within conventional structures and methods. It was considered that services would be greatly improved if those currently available were better co-ordinated and more complementary. The need for more effective communication between service providers, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, was also widely expressed.

The lack of appropriate services to address mental health issues was identified as an urgent matter. It is critically important to recognise the relationship between forced removal and inter-generational problems. A mental health worker working with young Indigenous people believes most of the issues his client group are dealing with - especially those related to depression and suicide - stem from problems their parents had. Many of their parents were affected by the policies of forced removal. He said that addressing the needs of only part of the family unit is problematic as the impacts cross generational boundaries. The requirement of confidentiality was also emphasised.

It does not matter how much you do for the individual, if they are going back to a home that hasn't secured well-being for itself, all the work of months can be undone overnight.

Youth Mental Health Worker, South Australia

The design of support services is seen to be a distinct concern. Several people interviewed suggested that leadership should be sought among those who had a direct experience and understanding of the issues raised by removal and separation.

A Community Health Worker observed that healing comes in many forms and it is vital that all options are considered. He gave the example of people who have been searching for their history, visiting places of significance to their family. For many, healing has come through re-establishing these connections. He believes the facilitation of such opportunities would be a useful exercise for anyone in human services programs to address. Such activities are simple, direct and bridge the gap resulting from interference with cultural and family continuity.

Link-Up

There were more calls in 6 months to Link-Up NSW after the launch of the Report relating to crisis and suicide than there had been in total over the previous 18 year period. It brought the issue to the fore.

Former Public Relations Consultant, Link-Up, New South Wales

Without exception, funding to Link-Up programs was an area of intense concern. There is simply not enough staff in Link-Up structures to deal with the increased demand since the release of Bringing Them Home . The nature of the work takes its toll on the Indigenous workers in these programs. In some regions, Link-Up was already overworked before the release of the Report. While further funds have been committed to support the organisation, it will not meet the increased demand for assistance.

A place to go

Land is the most important thing - we need to have somewhere to bring people home.

Community Member, South Australia

There are very strong feelings about the recognition of relationships to land for those who were removed from their communities. It was felt that the recent amendments to the Native Title Act 1993 made insufficient provision for the specific needs and rights of the stolen generations.

Native title is a complex field integrating the interests of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, but it is often forgotten that it is also complex at the personal and community level. The community workers we met with spoke of the number of people they come across who feel that they can never return to their traditional lands because they cannot be sure which community is theirs or they fear exclusion and are afraid of the difficulties in re-establishing connections to their people and traditional country.

In some cases, those wanting to return home are seen as a threat by traditional owners - there is suspicion as to their influence, coming as they do from a very different background, which is precisely what the policies of assimilation sought to promote. It is suggested that a dialogue needs to begin between the various Aboriginal Land Councils, Representative Bodies under the Native Title Act and representatives of the stolen generations so that understanding can develop and progress made. This was a view shared regularly in the Northern Territory and in Queensland. Though there are examples of Indigenous people who have been welcomed back with open arms to their traditional land, not all people are confident they will get the same reception.

The importance placed on land by those removed from their families and communities is profound. It is their 'homeland' in every sense of the word. Yet the Native Title Act 1993 allows only the most minimal accommodation of the effects of removal and the dislocation of entire communities. The registration of a native title claim requires the claimant group to demonstrate a current 'traditional physical connection' with the land claimed. This is an essential condition, save where it can be established before a Federal Court judge that:

S.190D(4)(b) at some time in his or her lifetime, at least one parent of one member of the native title group had a traditional physical connection with any part of the land or waters and would have been expected to have maintained that connection but for things done … by:

(i) the Crown in any capacity; or (ii) a statutory authority of the Crown in any capacity; …

It is conceivable that the interruption of physical connection to land through the removal of children could be tempered by this provision. Prima facie proof of native title rights would also be required. The outcome would remain a matter for judicial discretion.

Personal compensation

Although personal compensation will remain on the agenda for many people, it is not in the forefront of the minds of all Indigenous people. There are non-Indigenous Australians who are uncomfortable with the recommendations concerning compensation. Clearly that does not undercut their validity or importance. Nor do the judgements made in parts of Australia, that money is the prime motivation behind telling the stories of forced removal, lessen the belief that compensation is warranted as a plain matter of justice. It was acknowledged that no amount of money could ever provide adequate compensation. However, that is no justification for not addressing the issue.

The way forward

As to the future, our greatest desire and intention is to have our voices and views heard and understood by the Australian community. They felt that ultimately it is the way in which Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians relate to each other in a positive way now which will resolve the manifold effects of forced removal. The stories told to the Inquiry will take their rightful place in the history of this country. The main objective is to make improvements in the well-being of Indigenous communities today, which will flow on to future generations.

The Inquiry and Bringing Them Home have had a profound impact in showing the wider community the experiences which have shaped the lives of Indigenous Australians. Many have listened to personal stories and have absorbed their full implications. These stories reach back into the past but their real significance is in the present.

This chapter has tried to give some sense of the complexity of the repercussions of a process started by the Inquiry. It is flecked through with distress, relief, expectation and doubt. It has both healed and opened wounds.

The relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians is under pressure, influenced greatly by the recognition of rights to land in accordance with distinctive Indigenous laws and customs. Native title has thrown up exacting questions about the history of Australia and the present enjoyment of Indigenous rights. In many ways the separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families mirrors and intensifies these questions. They cannot be avoided and will not be resolved without understanding and respecting both the human experience and the human rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.

Acknowledgements

Throughout this chapter we have presented the views of Indigenous people from different parts of Australia. We thank them for sharing with us their opinions, hopes and disappointments. We know that the journey of healing for Australia, begun in 1997 with the release of Bringing Them Home , remains largely incomplete. We can only trust that in the future all Australians will contribute to the work necessary to achieve a resolution that will nourish our country.

Thank you:

3 April 2003.