To deny Stolen Generations survivors their truth is to deny them their existence.
With the racist rhetoric currently spotlighted by the Australian media, I invite those proudly touting hateful comments to sit with Stolen Generations survivors and have a conversation about whether or not colonisation was beneficial for them.
The claim that there were no negative effects of colonisation on First Nations people, and that the experiences of colonisation were positive, betrays not just a shallow understanding of Australian history, it is denialism.
Such statements are dangerous and categorically deny the truth-telling experiences of Stolen Generations survivors – lifetimes of trauma, grief and loss. Communities across Australia are continuing to deal with the impacts of intergenerational trauma stemming from a history of dispossession, frontier violence, introduced diseases, cultural genocide, forced labour, stolen wages, stolen children, institutionalisation, deaths in custody, ongoing racism and discrimination. The very symbol of colonisation – our government structures – prove the impacts of this trauma through their own data.
It is estimated that up to one in 10 First Nations children were forcibly removed from their families, and we know that number would be higher given Queensland and Victoria had removal legislation from the 1860s. Many of these children were beaten, abused, bullied, starved and lived with the acute and compounding effects of grief, loss and trauma. We know this because survivors have told us.
The Bringing Them Home report includes first-hand testimony of hundreds of Stolen Generations survivors. Their voices bring to light experiences of physical and sexual abuse, of intentionally cruel and dehumanising treatment, of labour exploitation and wage theft. Survivors spoke of the profound lifelong grief of being dislocated from their parents, families and communities, with many told they were unwanted, or their parents were dead. Their testimony underscored the psychological and emotional isolation inflicted upon them – upon children.
It was not uncommon for families to experience removals across multiple generations. What became apparent through survivors’ stories was the intergenerational impacts of trauma stemming directly from forced removals. This is particularly evident when looking across health, social and emotional wellbeing, economic, and social indicators.
The Make Healing Happen – It’s time to act report drew on survivor testimony and studies undertaken by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare to show that Stolen Generations survivors and their descendants carry higher levels of disadvantage than other First Nations people. They are more likely to experience discrimination, housing and economic stress, and are at a higher risk of interactions with police and legal systems. They have an increased likelihood of kidney disease, diabetes and heart disease, and are more likely to live with disabilities and diagnosed mental health conditions. There is a clear “gap within the gap”.
All Stolen Generations survivors are eligible for aged care, and as they age, they face even more complex needs. By denying the ongoing impacts of trauma due to colonisation, service delivery will fail survivors. The Healing Foundation consistently advocates for healing needs to be met in order to end cycles of trauma as a matter of urgency. Many Stolen Generations survivors are passing away with unresolved health issues or any sense of hope that their children or grandchildren will know a life without trauma.
A compassionate view of the past starts with truth-telling. We have seen this recently with the discovery of potential burial sites at the former Kinchela Aboriginal Boys’ Training Home in New South Wales, a notorious Stolen Generations institution known for its cruelty. Kinchela survivors called for truth-telling, for the stories of the boys who didn’t survive to be told, as part of their healing journey.
Truth-telling is fundamental to not only understanding ourselves within the national story, but for creating the conditions for healing to happen. It gives First Nations people the voice to record their truths about individual and collective experiences, their resilience – a burden that is celebrated – their culture and heritage, and encourages a shared acceptance.
But truth-telling must happen within a broader context of reparations to address past injustice, and it must include nationally consistent and culturally responsive redress schemes. Reparations, including compensation, was a key recommendation of Bringing Them Home, and while we have seen some survivor-led schemes, other jurisdictions have fallen short, or, in the case of Queensland and Western Australia, not implemented anything. We will never be able to adequately compensate survivors, but inaction and shortfalls should outrage all Australians.
We cannot be distracted from the progress being made towards addressing Australia’s unfinished business – business that will continue beyond the referendum.
Without accepting the impacts of colonisation the needs of Stolen Generations survivors will remain unmet and trauma cycles will continue.
Deniers look past decades of evidence and facts to spout ill-informed ideological views to the detriment of the people who have suffered the devastating consequences of colonisation. I say to them, look a survivor in the eye and tell them at least they have running water and food.
• Steve Larkin chairs the board of The Healing Foundation
