Bringing Them Home facts for kids
Cover of the Bringing Them Home report
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| Also known as | Stolen Generation |
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| Outcome |
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| Inquiries | National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families |
| Commissioners | Sir Ronald Wilson Mick Dodson |
| Inquiry period | 11 May 1995 – 26 May 1997 |
Bringing Them Home is a very important report from 1997 in Australia. It was written after a national inquiry looked into how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children were taken away from their families. This sad period in history is known as the Stolen Generations.
The inquiry was started on 11 May 1995 by the Australian government's chief legal advisor, the Attorney-General, Michael Lavarch. It happened because Indigenous groups and communities felt that most people didn't know about these forced removals. This lack of knowledge made it hard for the people affected and their families to get the help they needed. The full 680-page report was presented to the Australian Parliament on 26 May 1997.
Contents
Why the Inquiry Happened
Indigenous groups had been asking for a national inquiry since the early 1990s. In 1992, a group called the Secretariat of the National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SNAICC) officially demanded one. Other Indigenous groups in different states also worked hard during this time.
In 1992, the Prime Minister at the time, Paul Keating, gave a famous speech in Redfern, Sydney. For the first time, he openly said that children had been taken away from their mothers.
Later, in 1994, the Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia (ALSWA) started collecting stories. They spoke to Aboriginal people who had been removed as children, or whose children had been taken. They interviewed over 600 people and created a report called Telling our Story. These efforts helped lead to the national inquiry.
Who Led the Inquiry
The main people leading the inquiry were Sir Ronald Wilson, who was the President of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, and Mick Dodson, who was the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner.
Indigenous women also helped as co-commissioners. They supported people who shared their stories in different parts of Australia. These co-commissioners included Annette Peardon, Marjorie Thorpe, Dr Maryanne Bin Salik, Sadie Canning, Olive Knight, Kathy Mills, Anne Louis, Laurel Williams, Jackie Huggins, Josephine Ptero-David, and Professor Marcia Langton. They also helped write the report and its suggestions.
An Indigenous Advisory Council was also part of the inquiry. It had members from all over Australia.
Sharing Stories and Information
The inquiry held many meetings, called hearings, in major cities and smaller towns across Australia. People could come and share their experiences.
- New South Wales: Redfern, Campbelltown, Nowra, Sydney, Grafton, Dubbo, Broken Hill and Wilcannia.
- Australian Capital Territory: Canberra.
- Victoria: Melbourne, Lake Tyers, Bairnsdale, Morwell, Ballarat, Geelong, Framlingham, Portland, Mildura, Swan Hill and Echuca.
- Queensland: Brisbane, Rockhampton, Palm Island, Townsville, Cairns and Thursday Island.
- South Australia: Adelaide, Coober Pedy, Glossop, Murray Bridge, Port Lincoln, Ceduna, Raukkan, Mount Gambier, Port Augusta and Berri.
- Western Australia: Perth, Halls Creek, Broome, Bunbury, and Katanning.
- Northern Territory: Darwin and Alice Springs.
- Tasmania: Hobart, Flinders Island, Cape Barren Island, Wybalenna, Launceston and Burnie.
The first hearings began on 4 December 1995 on Flinders Island, and the last ones finished on 3 October 1996 in Sydney.
In total, the inquiry received 777 submissions (written statements or stories). This included 535 from Indigenous people or groups, 49 from churches, and 7 from governments. About 500 of these stories were kept private to protect the people who shared them.
What the Report Said
The inquiry produced two reports:
- A long, detailed report called Bringing them Home.
- A shorter, easier-to-read guide for communities, also called Bringing them Home—Community Guide.
The Community Guide explained that "Indigenous families and communities have suffered greatly because their human rights were ignored." It said that these problems still affect Indigenous people every day. The report described these actions as aiming to destroy Indigenous families, communities, and cultures, which are very important to Australia's heritage.
Suggestions from the Report
The report made many suggestions for what should happen next. Some of the main ones were:
- Give money to Indigenous groups so that people affected by the forced removal policies can record their own history.
- Make things right for the people who were forcibly removed from their families. This is called reparation.
- The Australian Parliament should offer official apologies. They should also admit that past governments were responsible for the laws and actions that led to these forced removals.
Government Apologies
After the report, many governments in Australia offered apologies. These included the federal government, and the parliaments of Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales, Tasmania, and the Northern Territory.
Federal Government Apologies
Motion of Reconciliation
The Bringing Them Home report suggested that the Australian Government should officially apologize. The government at the time, led by Prime Minister John Howard, decided to create a Motion of Reconciliation instead. This motion was discussed in the Australian Parliament.
On 26 August 1999, John Howard presented the Motion of Reconciliation. It said the Parliament felt "deep and sincere regret" for the injustices Indigenous Australians suffered in the past. It also recognized the mistreatment of Indigenous Australians as a "blemished chapter" in Australia's history. The leader of the opposition, Kim Beazley, wanted a full apology, but his suggestion was not accepted.
The National Apology
On 11 December 2007, the new Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, announced that an official apology would be made. The words for this apology were chosen after talking with Indigenous leaders.
On 13 February 2008, Prime Minister Rudd read the apology in Parliament. It was passed by everyone in the lower house. The apology honored Indigenous peoples as the oldest cultures in human history. It recognized the past mistreatment, especially of the Stolen Generations. It said "sorry" for the laws and policies that caused great pain and suffering, and for taking Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families. The apology asked for forgiveness and aimed to start a new chapter of healing and respect for all Australians.
State and Territory Apologies
Many state and territory governments also offered apologies:
- Western Australia: On 27 May 1997, the Premier of Western Australia, Richard Court, asked for a minute of silence in Parliament to show respect for Aboriginal families who were separated. The next day, the opposition leader moved a motion to apologize for past policies.
- South Australia: On 28 May 1997, the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Dean Brown, apologized on behalf of South Australia. He expressed deep regret for the forced separation of Aboriginal children before 1964.
- Australian Capital Territory: On 17 June 1997, the Chief Minister, Kate Carnell, apologized to the Ngunnawal people and other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in the ACT for the hurt caused by child removals.
- New South Wales: On 18 June 1997, the Premier of New South Wales, Bob Carr, apologized without reservation for the systematic separation of Aboriginal children from their families.
- Tasmania: On 13 August 1997, the Premier of Tasmania, Tony Rundle, expressed deep regret for the hurt caused by past policies of child removal.
- Victoria: On 17 September 1997, the Premier of Victoria, Jeff Kennett, apologized for past policies of child removal and expressed deep regret for the distress caused.
- Queensland: On 26 May 1999, the Premier of Queensland, Peter Beattie, recognized the importance of reconciliation and apologized for past wrongs.
- Northern Territory: On 24 October 2001, the Chief Minister, Clare Martin, apologized to Territorians who were removed from their families under old laws. She also asked the federal government to make a formal apology.
Criticisms of the Report
The government led by John Howard did not agree with all parts of the Bringing Them Home report. They especially did not support a formal "apology." John Herron, who was the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs at the time, said that an apology might make it seem like current generations were responsible for actions of past generations. He argued that those past actions were legal at the time and were thought to be in the children's best interest. Prime Minister John Howard also believed that saying "sorry" would suggest guilt for people alive today, which is why his "Motion of Reconciliation" used words like "deep and sincere regret" instead of "sorry."
