After more than two decades of advocacy from survivors and their families, the Victorian Government have committed to a Stolen Generations redress scheme.
The $155million redress package announced on Thursday will be accessible for Aboriginal Victorians removed from their families before 1977.
Coming 25-years after the Bringing Them Home Report, some survivors feel it may be too little, too late.
"A lot of the Stolen Generations people have passed on…it's very, very sad,” said Aunty Lyn Austin.
The Gunditjmara/Wotjobaluk Elder was forcibly removed from her family at Dimboola in western Victoria. She was 10-years-old.
“Victoria still has a long way to go with our journey and our healing process,” she said.
“Now they come up 25 years later and say that we’re gonna compensate survivors… and like I said… it's a little too late for many because many have passed.”
Survivors can access compensation up to $100,000, with the scheme also providing access to healing and reconnection to Country programs and a personal apology from the Victorian government.
However, the package is only available for those removed from their families in the state of Victoria, before December 31, 1976.
First Nations Foundation Chairperson, Ian Hamm, who was removed from his family at just three-weeks old, said the scheme doesn’t work to support all survivors.
Yorta Yorta man and Stolen Generation survivor Ian Hamm. Source: NITV
"This scheme is built around where the act of removal itself happened. That’s in Victoria, so the financial component is for those who were removed in Victoria,” said the Yorta Yorta man.
"But we have many people from interstate who live in this state, they are a part of our Aboriginal community, they belong to us, they have full access to all the services and the support."
In announcing the redress package, Victorian Premier Dan Andrews acknowledged the advocacy of survivors.
“To retell stories, to relive those difficult experiences, to share the burden that is carried by so many Aboriginal Victorian members of the Stolen Generations, every hour of every day is not an easy thing to do,” he said.
“It’s fundamentally generous because it help’s non-Aboriginal people understand the damage that was done and the distance we are yet to travel towards truth, justice, healing and treaty.”
The Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service (VALS) will be supporting applicants access their compensation.
“The Stolen Generations Redress Scheme is an important step that will go some way to addressing the individual and generational inequality that was caused by governments and organisations that took our children from us,” said VALS CEO, Nerita Waight.
Standing with Aunty Lyn, VALS believe there is “so much left to do” before justice is served.
“Our children are still more likely to be taken from their families and more likely to be put in prison,” said Ms Waight.
“The Victorian Government has shown a willingness to address these difficult issues and I hope they continue on this journey by raising the age of criminal responsibility to at least 14, fixing Victoria’s broken bail laws, and giving Aboriginal organisations and communities the power and resources to reduce out of home care rates and give our children a better future.”
With Victoria introducing the scheme, Western Australia and Queensland remain as the two jurisdictions which have not installed a Stolen Generation redress package.
