Just heard on NPR that a South Australian man has received almost half a million dollars compensation from the State government for his treatment as a child (being stolen from his family and handed to whites to raise; it’s a common story for indigenous Australians and happened until frighteningly recently). Of course, Mal Brough, Federal Minister for Indigenous Affairs, said there’s no way funds will be made available federally for compensation. I don’t think this is the first one – I think there was a woman in 2002 who was awarded compensation by the Victims’ Compensation Tribunal of NSW but I believe it was overturned on appeal.
I hope this one isn’t overturned. Then Andrew Bolt might have to admit it actually happened. I believe he’s said he doesn’t believe a word of it because no one could find an individual child it had actually been done to. Nice. (if you’re convinced by his article, please at least read the now 10-year-old Bringing Them Home report on the stolen generation.)
I’ll be interested to see where this goes. Rudd, are you watching? There’s a small matter of an apology – and it’s pretty clear now that compensation will happen whether the government apologizes or not, so how about we just do the right thing – and then let’s talk treaty, yeah? Goodo.