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Stolen Generations
All information sourced from: Karina Marlow (2016), Explainer: the Stolen Generations, published by NITV, (available from https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/explainer/explainer-stolen-generations) -
Native Institution
The 'Native Institution' was set up at Parramatta to 'improve' and 'civilise' Aboriginal students through instruction in reading, writing and religion, training in manual labour for the boys and useful needlework for the girls. -
Aboriginal Protection Act of 1869.
The Victorian Central Board for the Protection of Aborigines was established by the Aboriginal Protection Act of 1869. -
The Aborigines Protection Board
The Aborigines Protection Board was established in NSW to manage reserves and control the lives of the estimated 9,000 Aboriginal people in NSW at that time. -
Power over Aboriginal affairs
The Aboriginals Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act was introduced in Queensland giving the Chief Protector appointed by the Government extraordinary powers over Aboriginal affairs. -
'Chief Protectors' become legal guardians
The WA Aborigines Protection Board was abolished and all Aboriginal affairs were dealt with through the Aborigines Department. Under the Aborigines Act (WA) passed in 1905, the Chief Protector became the legal guardian of every Aboriginal and ‘half-caste’ child under 16 years old. -
Full control and custody of any child
The Aborigines Protection Act (NSW) gave the Aborigines Protection Board legal sanction to `to assume full control and custody of the child of any aborigine' if a court found the child to be neglected. It also allowed the Board to apprentice Aboriginal children aged between 14 and 18 years. -
More power given to 'Chief Protectors'
The Aborigines Act (SA) was introduced giving the Chief Protector wide-ranging powers to remove Indigenous people to and from reserves. The Northern Territory Aboriginals Ordinance (Cth) gave the Chief Protector the power to assume ‘the care, custody or control of any Aboriginal or half caste if in his opinion it is necessary or desirable in the interests of the Aboriginal or half caste for him to do so’. -
Remove children without consent or court order
An amendment to the Aborigines Protection Act (NSW) gave the Board the power to remove any child without parental consent and without a court order as to neglect. -
Head teacher given power of police constable
The Infants Welfare Act (Tas) was used to remove Indigenous children on Cape Barren Island from their families and the head teacher on the Island was given the same powers and responsibilities as a police constable. -
Assimilation policy of 1937 made transparent
The third Commonwealth and State Conference on ‘native welfare’ was held and assimilation was affirmed as the aim of ‘native welfare’ measures. It was first adopted as a policy in 1937 by the first Conference. -
Removal not allowed for 'protection'
The Aborigines Welfare Board in New South Wales was abolished. By 1969, all states had repealed the legislation allowing for the removal of Aboriginal children under the policy of ‘protection’. -
Link-Up services
Link Up NSW was first established to reunite families separated by the policies. Between 1984 and 2001 all the other states and territories established link-up services. -
Adoption placement with indigenous families
The placement of Indigenous children with Indigenous families whenever adoption or fostering occurred was incorporated into NT welfare legislation, with all other states adopting this placement principle by 2006. -
Discussion around justice and healing
The Going Home Conference occured in Darwin and brought together over 600 Aboriginal people who were removed as children to discuss the common goals of access to archives, compensation, rights to land and social justice. -
Bringing Them Home Report
The 'Bringing Them Home Report' was released by the Australian Human Rights Commission, to report on the findings of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their Families to the Commonwealth Government. The parliaments and governments of Victoria, Tasmania, ACT, New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia all issued statements recognising and publicly apologising to the Stolen Generations. -
National Sorry Day
The first National Sorry Day was held on 26 May 1998, one year after the release of the Bringing them Home Report, as an opportunity for the Australian public to offer an apology to and commemorate the Stolen Generations. A range of community activities took place across Australia and almost 25,000 people recorded their feelings, apologies and signatures in Sorry Books. -
Federal Parliament apologises
The Federal Parliament passed a motion of ‘deep and sincere regret over the removal of Aboriginal children from their parents’, however Prime Minister John Howard refused to make a formal apology. -
Stolen Generations memorial
The Commonwealth Government established a memorial to the Stolen Generations at Reconciliation Place in Canberra. -
Compensation scheme
The first Stolen Generations compensation scheme in Australia was set up in Tasmania by the Stolen Generations of Aboriginal Children Act 2006 (Tas). -
Rudd publicly apologises on behalf of parliament
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd offered an apology to the members of the Stolen Generations, on behalf of the Australian Parliament. The Apology acknowledged the past mistreatment of Indigenous peoples and recognised the grief, suffering and loss inflicted on the Stolen Generations. -
Healing Foundation
The Australian Government committed $26.6 million for the establishment of a Healing Foundation to address trauma and healing in the wider indigenous community, with a focus on the Stolen Generations.