This Thursday, the Northern Territory Stolen Generations Aboriginal Corporation commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Going Home Conference (1994-2019).
Held in Darwin at Kormilda College in 1994, the Going Home Conference brought together over 600 Aboriginal people who had been forcibly removed as children to discuss common goals.
It was the first national conference to focus on issues like access to archival records, rights to land and access to land under the Aboriginal Lands Rights Act NT, compensation as well as other options for NT displaced peoples and survivors of the Stolen Generations.
The 25th anniversary of this important event was commemorated this Thursday in Darwin by the Northern Territory Stolen Generations Aboriginal Corporation under the auspices of its CEO, Auntie Maisie Austin.
“This is a very important opportunity to remember what happened 25 years ago. It was an opportunity to celebrate and reflect on what happened, and what did not happen in the last 25 years,” Auntie Maisie Austin said in a conversation with NITV radio.
The commemoration was a luncheon where all Stolen Generations were invited. It also featured speeches and entertainment by Mary G.
“We wanted it to be marked with joy and happiness,” Auntie Maisie Austin said. It was also provided an opportunity to pay tribute to those who have fought for the Stolen Generations but who have passed.
The Going Home Conference was crucial to the Federal Government’s decision to undertake the now historic National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their families. That subsequently led to the Bringing Them Home Report.
“This Report had about 54 recommendations. Possibly 9 of them were looked at and only probably 5 of these recommendations have been implemented,” Auntie Maisie Austin says.
She also reveals that 21 years after the Bringing Them Home Report compensation has still not been paid to NT survivors of the Stolen Generations.
In other states, survivors were able to advocate directly with their respective governments and received compensation.
Because of the NT's particular administrative status NT survivors have had to advocate to the Federal Government. To no avail. Many have lost hope and believe they will never see any form of compensation in their lifetime.
Out of more than 2500 children removed from their families in the NT only 300 are still alive, many of them in their 70’s or older, in aged care and in poor health from ill-treatment and institutionalisation.
Auntie Maisie Austin says that NT Stolen Generations survivors believe that the government is just waiting for them all to die and will never compensate them.
She called on governments, especially the Federal Government, to make a decision one way or the other for the NT Stolen Generations.
“If they are not going to give compensation they should say so. These people are in their 70s, 80s and 90s. They are dying. They are in poor health. They’ve been waiting all their lives to be recognised and to be compensated for what they missed out in their lives.”
“Okay, they’ve had the Apology, they’ve got the National Sorry Day but really what has it done? What has it meant to people? The Apology at the time was great but nothing has been done since then.”
