27 June 2000
Far from 'Bringing them Home'
Human
Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission submission to the
Senate Legal and Constitutional References Committee Inquiry
into the Stolen Generation
The Federal Government's response to the Bringing them Home report has been inadequate, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Dr William Jonas has told a Senate committee.
Dr Jonas' submission to the Senate Committee which is inquiring into the response to Bringing them Home said the Government had failed to adequately implement the report's recommendations and had not addressed the human rights principles raised in the report.
Dr Jonas said the Government's argument that disputed the existence of a stolen generation was deeply flawed and the rejection of monetary compensation reflected a lack of political will rather than actual impediments.
He said there has been insufficient consultation with Indigenous people, especially those affected by the past policies of removal.
"Furthermore, the Government's submission to the Committee, made public through media reports in April, misrepresents the report and does not provide sound arguments for its failure to implement the major recommendations of Bringing them home," Dr Jonas said.
Dr Jonas said the Australian Government's refusal to extend a national apology and acknowledge the importance of reparations to the stolen children goes against a worldwide trend. National apologies for the practices of the past have now been given in Canada, South Africa, New Zealand, Denmark, Norway and the United States, he said.
"Denying the existence of a stolen generation is cruel and hurtful to the thousands of Indigenous families affected by past policies of removal," he said. "The best estimates range from one in three to one in ten children taken. It is nitpicking and pedantic to dispute the use of the word generation. The Australian Government does not take this approach when talking about our war heroes."
Dr Jonas called for national leadership to ensure Bringing them home is implemented finally in an effective and coordinated way.
For further information, please contact Janine MacDonald on (02) 9284 9880 or 0412 783 631.
© Human Rights
and Equal Opportunity Commission. Last updated 2 December 2001.
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