Survivors of the stolen generations in Western Australia will be compensated through a state government redress scheme. The move leaves Queensland as the only jurisdiction in the country without such a scheme.
00:00The Premier Roger Cook was met with a round of applause when he walked out of the doors
00:06of Parliament to make today's announcement. It's a redress scheme with a payment of $85,000
00:12for the living members of the stolen generation here in Western Australia. Now the Premier
00:18Roger Cook said it's in recognition of the harm caused by removing First Nations people
00:23from their families and their communities. The payment will be provided to First Nations
00:28people who were removed prior to the 1st of July 1972. Now up until today WA and Queensland
00:37were the only two jurisdictions in the country that didn't have a redress scheme provided
00:44to members of the stolen generation. Now it wasn't without its criticism. There were people
00:50interrupting the press conference today saying that $85,000 is not the highest payment in the
00:57country but WA is the wealthiest state and it was a missed opportunity for the government
01:02to really set an example about what reconciliation could look like. Here's some of what the Premier
01:08had to say. Money does not fix things and ultimately healing is a long journey but it's one that
01:14we must take together and today we are signaling my government's intention to walk with Yoko, to
01:20walk with the Kimberley Stolen Generations mob, to walk with other Stolen Generations groups on this
01:25journey of healing, truth telling and ultimately reconciliation. Now the government expects the payment will reach about roughly
01:342,500 people. It's not available to the families of people who have passed away who are a part of the Stolen Generation.
01:41Now during the press conference we heard from a number living members of the Stolen Generation. Here is some of what they had to share today.
01:49Our people will be happy with that because they're all growing old now and they need to have something, you know, to keep them going and give them something to live.
01:59The scheme opens later this year and payments are expected to be rolled out by the end of the year.
