Stolen Generations Apology (Qld)
On 26 May, 1999, Queensland Premier Peter Beattie issued an apology in Parliament on behalf of the House to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Queensland on behalf of all Queenslanders for forcible separation from their families. It came just days before the Forde Inquiry into Abuse of Children in Queensland Institutions Report was presented to the government, and three months before a much longer apology was issued to all children harmed in Queensland’s children’s institutions.
Kruger Case (NT)
Kruger and Bray v Commonwealth was a court case challenging the constitutionality of Northern Territory legislation from 1918 that had authorised the separation of Aboriginal families. The case was brought by a number of Aboriginal plaintiffs who had themselves been removed from their families, and a mother whose child had been removed from her. The case was unsuccessful. (See Sarah Joseph, 1998, “Kruger v Commonwealth: Constitutional Rights and the Stolen Generations,” Monash University Law Review, 24, 2: 486-98)
Moseley Royal Commission (WA)
The Report of the Royal Commission Appointed to Investigate, Report, and Advise Upon Matters in Relation to the Condition and Treatment of Aborigines is commonly known as the Moseley Royal Commission after its Chair, Dr H.D. Mosely. In 1934, the Native Union and allies presented a range of issues, including forced removal of children, to the British Commonwealth League Conference in London. This triggered criticism in Britain about WA's treatment of Aboriginal people, which played a role in instigating the Mosely report. While Moseley noted the cruelty of forcible removal, he ultimately rejected calls for change. (See Anna Haebich, “Forgetting Indigenous Histories: Cases from the Histories of Australia’s Stolen Generations”, Journal of Social History, 2011, Vol.44, No.4, p. 1038.)
Cubillo and Gunner Cases (NT)
The Cubillo and Gunner cases were chosen as "lead cases" by the Northern Australian Legal Aid Service Stolen Generation Litigation Unit, in an attempt to establish legal precedent for Stolen Generations cases. They argued that there had been a breach of duty of care by the Commonwealth through inadequate supervision and monitoring of the Retta Dixon Home in Darwin and the St Mary’s Hostel in Alice Springs, where the litigants Lorna Cubillo and Peter Gunner had spent part of their respective childhoods.
"Took the Children Away"
Archie Roach’s classic album “Charcoal Lane” was a breakout hit, bringing his distinctive storytelling about experiences of child removal to a mainstream audience. Its centrepiece, “Took the Children Away,” was not the first song about the Stolen Generations, but it possibly had the biggest impact, making Archie Roach a household name. He won two ARIA Awards in 1991 – for Best New Talent, and Best Indigenous Release, and “Took the Children Away” was nominated for Best Breakthrough Single. “Took the Children Away” also won an International Human Rights Achievement Award.
"My Brown Skin Baby"
Bob Randall’s song “My Brown Skin Baby” has been described as “the first anthem of the Stolen Generations”. “Tjilpi” Bob Randall was a Yankunytjatjara musician, writer and leader. Aged seven he was removed from his mother and taken to Alice Springs and then Arnhem Land, far from his home. The song, which was based on his own family’s experiences, came to popular attention through the ABC’s documentary series Chequerboard, when it was featured in an episode called “My Brown Skin Baby, They Take ‘im Away.”
Telling Our Story
The “Telling Our Story” report compiles dozens of the stories told by Aboriginal Western Australians to the Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia (ALSWA). At this time, ALSWA was advocating for a national Royal Commission into Aboriginal child removal from families. It was the first time that stories of WA Aboriginal individuals and families that would come to be known as Stolen Generations. The initiative was led by the CEO of ALSWA, Rob Riley, a former inmate at Sister Kate’s Home. Reference "Bringing Them Home the ALSWA Way"
Women of the Sun
Women of the Sun is a four-part drama series that was aired on SBS, telling stories from Australian history from Aboriginal perspectives. In Episode 2, set in 1895, children are removed from their home by the Protector of Aborigines, separated from each other and sent to an institutional children’s home. It was one of the first dramatisations of what would come to be known as the Stolen Generations.
Link-Up Diary
This documentary film, directed by David McDougall and funded by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies (later known as AIATSIS), follows the work of Link-Up in NSW as they reunited a family that had been separated. It tells the stories of Coral Edwards and Peter Read. It was the third in a trilogy of documentary features, following It's a Long Road Back (1981) and Lousy Little Sixpence (1983).
Lousy Little Sixpence
This was a documentary film narrated by Chicka Dixon, and made by Coral (Oomera) Edwards. It features interviews with Aboriginal people whose families were affected by separation. It was the second in a series of documentary features after It's a Long Road (1981) and before Link Up Diaries (1987).