In 2009, the Federal Government announced it would establish an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Healing Foundation to help break the cycle of trauma and grief in Indigenous communities, particularly affecting members of the Stolen Generations and their families.

PIAC welcomed this announcement and the Government’s nationwide community consultations, of which PIAC was a part. Following the consultations, PIAC contributed a written submission to the Healing Foundation development team proposing the establishment of a Stolen Generations Reparations Tribunal based on the model outlined in our 2002 report, Restoring Identity. This report presents the opinions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, documents the outcomes of the consultations and examines international approaches to providing reparations.

To boost the campaign for reparations, PIAC:

• updated and reprinted a second edition of Restoring Identity, including a draft Stolen Generations Reparations Bill
• provided legal advice to members of the Stolen Generations seeking to bring legal action against the Government for the harm and abuses they suffered.

The success of the late Bruce Trevorrow in his civil claim against the South Australian Government for compensation for the harm caused by his forcible removal from his family at 13 months of age created renewed optimism among members of the Stolen Generations.

However, many who have sought to follow in Mr Trevorrow’s footsteps have been disappointed by the paucity of funding available to pursue similar claims and the complexities of the litigation process.