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

Social Justice Report 1998

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    • Chapter 1: The Aftermath
    for Indigenous Peoples

    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:

    Richard Ah
    Mat    		 Andrea Mason
    David Akbar Garry Maynard
    Rosie Baird Roy Maynard
    Adrian Booth Karen Menzies
    Tony Brown Eric Milera
    Trevor Buzzacott Sandy Miller
    Michelle Clarke Kath Mills
    Ken Colbung Caroline Munns
    Glenys Collard Lyndon Murphy
    Ashley Couzens Marina Murray
    Lynette Crocker Melissa Mutton
    Barbara Cummings Frank Nam
    Dennis Eggington Jane Nelson
    Jason Field Wayne Newchurch
    Malcolm Gollan Bronwyn Newey
    Leanne Goodes Bryce Nimmo
    Nellie Green Mary O'Shane
    Josey Hanson Valma Pickett
    Elizabeth
    Hayden    		 Bev Port-Louis
    Colleen Hayward Kylie Pursche
    Ruth Hennings Glenda Renato
    Vicky Hensleigh Clyde Rigney
    Marie Holman Dolores Scott
    Rosita Howson Mary Shadford
    Ken Jurotte Glenn Shaw
    Carol Kendall Heather Shearer
    Katie Kiss Di Spotswood
    Joyleen Koolmatrie Irene Stanton
    Frank Lampard Archie Tanna
    April Lawrie-Smith Eddie Thomas
    Jane Lester Sonia Waters
    Kerri Lovegrove Charlie Watson
    Dennis McDermott Christine
    Wellington-Stuart
    Brett Mansell James Whittaker
    Clyde Mansell Ted Wilkes
    Sarah Marshall Phyllis Williams

    3
    April 2003.