In a landmark court settlement, the commonwealth government has agreed to pay millions of dollars in compensation to the descendants and families of members of the Northern Territory Stolen Generations.
The historic decision settles a class action launched by long-time Stolen Generations campaigner and survivor Eileen Cummings in April last year.
The court victory sparked a small but emotional celebration among survivors at the Darwin offices of the Northern Territory Stolen Generations Aboriginal Corporation.
Eileen Cummings, who was taken from her mother when she was just four years old, told NITV News the new compensation fund will give family members affected by the trauma of losing a loved one some redress.
“For a long time they kept saying, 'Well the survivors are getting something'. But what about our mothers and our fathers?
"So for a long time the Stolen Generations kept on asking and fighting to consider them as well.”
In August last year, the Commonwealth set aside $379 million dollars as part of a national redress scheme to compensate Stolen Generations survivors.
But descendants, relatives and the estates of Stolen Generations members who died before the August start date of the national redress scheme were not eligible for compensation until now.
According to Shine Lawyers who mounted the class action, a share of the $50 million could go to deceased estates of members of the Stolen Generations, living carers or siblings of children who were removed or the deceased estates of relatives or kinship group members.
Eileen Cummings was forcibly removed from her mother at four years old. Source: SBS/NITV
Jan Saddler, Shine’s Head of Class Actions, told NITV News the compensation recognised that family members suffered as well as the Stolen Generation themselves.
“So that means that siblings, carers and other people who were kinship of people who were stolen generation, and who were subjected to trauma as a result of their siblings, for example, being removed or their children being removed from them, will be entitled to compensation under this class action settlement.”
Eileen Cummings, said the settlement reflected the generational trauma caused by the Commonwealth’s decades of removing First Nations people from their families.
“Nothing will ever give us back the connections which were broken as a result of Stolen Generations, but this is an important step forward in the healing process.”
The Compensation fund is open to relatives, parents and kinship members of those forcibly removed in the NT between 1910 and June 1978.
While the settlement only applies to the Northern Territory up to 1800 people are expected to come forward and make a claim.
