23 November 1999
Compensation proposal welcomed by Human Rights Commission
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Dr William Jonas, welcomes today's motion in the Senate concerning outstanding issues relating to the recommendations of the stolen generations report - Bringing Them Home.
The final report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their Families was tabled in federal Parliament in 1997. It contained 54 recommendations.
"Today's motion, raising as it does the difficult issue of compensation, proposes a strategy for an alternative dispute resolution tribunal to examine these issues. The Human Rights Commission welcomes the opportunity provided by the motion for thoughtful discussion at a national level.
Speaking at the Link-Up national conference yesterday, Dr Jonas commented that: "A tribunal, commission or other body would have all the benefits of a compensation mechanism, with the significant advantage of being able to address the entire issue of reparations, rather than just the monetary aspect of it."
Dr Jonas also welcomed the acceptance of a proposal to establish a Senate Committee to inquire into and report on responses of governments to the Report's recommendations. "The question of Australia-wide cross-monitoring of government's implementation of responses is yet to be fully addressed. There needs to be a national approach to monitoring the recommendations."
Dr Jonas commends the continuing attention to the Report's recommendations. "In the last couple of days alone it has been very encouraging to note that various of the recommendations are receiving further attention.
"Yesterday's publication of a national directory of Catholic residential care centres will be tremendously helpful to people seeking to trace their families," Dr Jonas says.
The directory lists centres operated by institutions of the Catholic Church which have provided residential care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. It describes the personal records known to exist for people who resided at these centres and provides information about how to access these records.
"It is an important step in meeting the church's obligations to Indigenous people removed from their families to assist Indigenous people to re-establish their family and community links."
For information please call Margie Cook on (02) 9284 9677 or 0418 637 230.
Last updated 2 December 2001.
