Inquiry into former forced adoption policies and practices: a national framework for Indigenous Australians

PIAC made a submission to the Australian Parliament’s Inquiry into Commonwealth Contribution to Former Forced Adoption Policies and Practices.

Our submission considered the history of forcible removal practices in Indigenous Australian communities and acknowledged the recommendations of the Bringing them Home inquiry.

It also provided recommendations for addressing the consequences of forced adoption practices, noting the challenges of bringing successful legal proceedings due to barriers such as limitation periods and evidentiary requirements. We proposed a National Stolen Generations Reparation Scheme, with a model for a national Stolen Generations Reparations Tribunal. These could provide comprehensive reparations packages to members of the Stolen Generations, their families and communities to address the impact of forcible removal practices and ongoing intergenerational disadvantage resulting from those practices.

We also recommended a nationwide response to forced removal and adoption practices led by the Commonwealth Government, and a coordinated Commonwealth, State and Territory response to reparations.