Healing Foundation

09/03/2025

The Healing Foundation urges the Federal Government to act on the recommendations of the Interim First Nations Aged Care Commissioner Andrea Kelly now before it is too late for Stolen Generations survivors.

Most Stolen Generations survivors are aged 50 or older; the age at which many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people require aged care due to significant health disparities.

Survivors are a ‘gap within the gap’ and experience additional disadvantage as a result of being forcibly removed from their families and the abuse they suffered following removal, compared to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of the same age who were not removed.

We reinforce recommendations in Commissioner Kelly’s Transforming Aged Care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People report that an equity-based approach is needed to achieve equal access and outcomes for older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, particularly Stolen Generations survivors.

To read our full statement visit:
https://healingfoundation.org.au/2025/03/07/new-report-highlights-that-stolen-generations-must-be-counted-in-aged-care-system-reforms/

07/03/2025

Our thoughts are with our South-East Queensland and North-East New South Wales survivors, survivor organisations and staff, mob and all affected by Tropical Cyclone Alfred.

Please take care over the coming days.

For information on being prepared, please visit: https://www.getready.qld.gov.au/

For urgent assistance:
- Emergency calls: 000
- TTY emergency calls: 106
- State Emergency Service (SES): 132 500

We want to remind the community that the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Crisis Line, 13 Yarn, supported by Lifeline Australia, is available for assistance. For 24/7 support, please call 13 92 76.

Stay safe, and let’s look out for each other.

04/03/2025

The Healing Foundation is seeking YOU or someone you know to join our team! We are looking for an experienced Director of Communications to develop and implement a strategic communications approach, both externally and across all areas of the organisation.

This role is crucial in shaping our organizational narrative, enhancing engagement, and ensuring culturally appropriate messaging that amplifies the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and Stolen Generations organisations.

This is a hybrid position based in either our Brisbane or Canberra office, requiring three days in the office and two days of remote work each week.

Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of a national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisation that partners with communities to support and amplify the voices and lived experiences of Stolen Generations survivors, families, and communities.

For further information about this position, please visit:
https://www.seek.com.au/job/82435791
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28/02/2025

The Bringing them home report (1997) recommended that Stolen Generations survivors across Australia receive redress in recognition of the severe violations of their human rights.

The importance of redress is well-documented. It goes beyond providing practical monetary support to address the burdens and costs associated with displacement, grief, loss, and trauma. Redress is about acknowledging the injustice of this imposed burden and conveying to survivors that they are heard, that they belong, and that their state and country are committed to genuine acts of truth-telling and healing.

Just as survivors sought recognition during the Bringing them home inquiry they are still seeking adequate, fair, and now urgent recognition, truth-telling, and practical compensation in the form of redress in 2025.

Find out more about this issue and our calls for fair and equal redress for all Stolen Generations survivors. We cannot wait another generation, the time to act is now.

For more information about redress options for Stolen Generations survivors visit:
https://knowmore.org.au/for-survivors/for-stolen-generations-survivors/

Find out more about our calls for action here:
https://healingfoundation.org.au/are-you-waiting-for-us-to-die-the-unfinished-business-of-bringing-them-home/

27/02/2025

Did you know that Western Australia and Queensland have not yet provided any redress to Stolen Generations survivors, despite these states having some of the largest survivor populations?

Our new report calls for the Western Australian and Queensland governments to urgently deliver reparations to elderly survivors in line with the Bringing them home report.

“The reality is survivors are dying, and those who are left often suffer multiple chronic health conditions, and they don’t have the money to afford the treatment they need,” said The Healing Foundation’s CEO Shannan Dodson.

Our report calls for schemes to be co-designed and evaluated with survivors, The Healing Foundation and Stolen Generation Organisations (SGOs) to ensure best practice and capture lessons learned from past reparations packages

The report outlines clear actions that governments, churches, service providers and communities can take to achieve real change for survivors. Read the report in full:

https://healingfoundation.org.au/are-you-waiting-for-us-to-die-the-unfinished-business-of-bringing-them-home/

26/02/2025

Ian Hamm (Yorta Yorta), chair of The Healing Foundation's Stolen Generations Reference Group, addresses The Healing Foundation's new report “Are you waiting for us to die? The unfinished business of Bringing Them Home’.

This report starkly reveals that a mere 6% of the recommendations from the "Bringing Them Home" report—issued almost 28 years ago to provide essential support for Stolen Generations survivors and their families—have been effectively implemented.

There are many urgent needs for survivors but some immediate and prioritised action is needed to:
- provide equitable redress for all survivors
- rectify issues preventing survivors from accessing their own family records
- offer ongoing support for Stolen Generations organisations and
- ensure there are culturally safe, trauma informed aged care and health services for survivors.

We cannot afford to wait another generation. Read the report in full:
https://healingfoundation.org.au/are-you-waiting-for-us-to-die-the-unfinished-business-of-bringing-them-home/

25/02/2025

The Healing Foundation would like to express its heartfelt gratitude to board members Aden Ridgeway and Nigel Browne as they embark on exciting new opportunities.

Aden, a Gumbaynggirr man, has served with us for 10 years and will continue his incredible community work as the NSW Treaty Commissioner.

Nigel, a descendant of the Larrakia and Wulna peoples, has just been appointed Chief Executive Officer of Aboriginal Investment NT after three years of service on the Board.

“We want to sincerely thank Aden and Nigel for their significant contributions during their time on The Healing Foundation’s Board. Their wisdom, strategic insights, collegiality, and leadership have been invaluable, leaving a lasting impact on our organisation. We will certainly miss them,” said Professor Steve Larkin, The Healing Foundation Board Chair.

Please join us in wishing Aden and Nigel the best in their future endeavours. We are grateful for the time, talent, and dedication they have shared with us, and we look forward to seeing the wonderful achievements in their next pursuits.
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17/02/2025

The Healing Foundation is proud to announce Commemorative Activities Grants totalling $230,000 for 15 Stolen Generations organisations across Australia to support critical healing events. CEO Shannan Dodson emphasised the importance of commemoration for survivors, their descendants, and the broader community as highlighted in the 1997 Bringing Them Home report.

The grants support Stolen Generations organisations to deliver Apology, Sorry Day and other commemorative activities, including healing days, talks, and gatherings, ranging from the Roelands Village Gathering in Western Australia to Queensland’s major Apology anniversary event in Brisbane. Ms Dodson noted that acknowledging truth and delivering apologies are crucial first steps in healing trauma.

As commemorations for the Apology and National Sorry Day take place in 2025, The Healing Foundation urges collaboration to fulfill the outstanding recommendations from the Bringing Them Home report, particularly in areas like reparations, family tracing, and education.

To read the full statement and see the list of recipients visit the Healing Foundation website here:

https://healingfoundation.org.au/2025/02/11/commemorations-a-vital-healing-tool-for-stolen-generations-survivors-and-communities/

17/02/2025

The new Healing Foundation report has found that 45 of the original 83 Bringing Them Home recommendations have failed to be implemented (54%), only 5 have been clearly implemented (6%), almost 28 years after it was released.

The Healing Foundation’s new report offers practical policy solutions to some of the big challenges facing survivors and their families. It combines commissioned analysis of the Bringing Them Home report recommendations as well as insights from many years of consultation with Stolen Generations survivors and organisations on their current needs and priorities.

Survivor numbers are declining every year, an urgent response is required from all sides of politics, all levels of government, police, churches and others with responsibilities to support the Stolen Generations.

We cannot afford to wait another generation. Read the report in full here:

https://healingfoundation.org.au/are-you-waiting-for-us-to-die-the-unfinished-business-of-bringing-them-home/

14/02/2025

Yesterday, members of The Healing Foundation’s Stolen Generations Reference Group addressed the National Apology Anniversary breakfast at Parliament House. At the end of the speech, Aunty Maisie Austin asked all survivors in the room to stand if they were able, so the other guests could acknowledge them.

“Looking at us you might make the mistake of thinking that we are 'high functioning', that we've overcome our trauma and that it is not impeding our lives. That is not true - the trauma of removal, placement, loss, abuses suffered at the hands and hearts of do-gooders and not so do-gooders is ever present - we have no escape from it. We are camouflage experts - we cover our trauma with our outside appearances,” shared Aunty Jenni Caruso (Eastern Arrente).

“The legacy of these government policies is still with us today. Many Indigenous Australians continue to suffer from the intergenerational trauma caused by these removals—loss of culture, identity, and connection to family. They suffer worse mental and physical health, more time in jail, worse unemployment, homelessness and deeper poverty to list a few. This ongoing damage is a direct result of these policies,” stated Uncle Tony Hansen (Wardandi and Bibbulmun with connections to the Minang and Wilman people of Great Southern Noongar and Wagyl Kaip Booja)

Photo: Luke Currie-Richardson
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13/02/2025

On the 17th anniversary of the National Apology to the Stolen Generations, more than 60 survivors and support people gathered in Canberra for the annual Apology anniversary breakfast at Parliament House.

The Healing Foundation partnered with Stolen Generations organisations to bring in survivors from across the country, to remember, connect and share.

The Healing Foundation's CEO Shannan Dodson said the Apology was a significant moment for many survivors and the broader Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.

"Through the Apology, the Australian Government for the first time recognised the truth of Australia's Stolen Generations history and paved the way for changes that would make a difference to survivors' daily lives," Ms Dodson said.

Find out more about what survivors need today: https://healingfoundation.org.au/are-you-waiting-for-us-to-die-the-unfinished-business-of-bringing-them-home/

11/02/2025

Are you waiting for us to die?’ This is something we often hear from Stolen Generations survivors. It underscores the urgent need to address the unfinished business of the Bringing Them Home report.

The Healing Foundation’s new report is calling for the urgent implementation of a National Healing Package for Stolen Generations survivors to enable remaining elderly survivors to live out their days with dignity.

Survivors are dying, and immediate action from governments and responsible agencies is urgent. We cannot afford to wait another generation.

Head to our website to read the report in full:

https://healingfoundation.org.au/are-you-waiting-for-us-to-die-the-unfinished-business-of-bringing-them-home/

We are an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisation supporting the healing of Stolen Generations survivors, families and communities.

09/02/2025

The 17th National Apology to the Stolen Generations is approaching on Thursday 13 February 2025. This significant day provides an opportunity for community to come together and for all Australians to acknowledge and commemorate the history and experiences of the Stolen Generations and descendants. Listed are just some of the events which will be held across the country in recognition of this important occasion.

If you are organising a public event or know of one happening in your community, please reach out to us via direct message or email so we can share the information and further amplify. Otherwise, stay tuned to our website here:

https://healingfoundation.org.au/apology-2/

07/02/2025

The Healing Foundation’s Board Chair Professor Steve Larkin (Kungarakan) and Stolen Generations descendant discusses the continued ongoing issues faced by Stolen Generations survivors and descendants as we lead up to the 17th anniversary of the National Apology to the Stolen Generations. There is still so much to tend to for survivors and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities Australia wide.
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06/02/2025

February 13, 2025, marks the 17th anniversary of the National Apology to the Stolen Generations. On this day in 2008, then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd formally apologised to Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for the forcible removal of children from their families, acknowledging the profound grief and loss caused by these actions.

The Healing Foundation will be sharing content over the next few weeks to commemorate this significant event and highlight ongoing efforts needed for Stolen Generations survivors and their descendants.

What are you doing to recognise the 17th anniversary of the National Apology to the Stolen Generations??
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27/01/2025

Aunty Pat Thompson, AM, the CEO of Link-Up (QLD), highlights the importance of acknowledging the intergenerational strength of the community. Aunty Pat emphasises the need for ongoing truth-telling, particularly around Survival Day and throughout the entire year.

Uncle Michael ‘Widdy’ Welsh, a survivor of the Kinchela Boys Home, discusses the ongoing challenges faced by Stolen Generations and other First Nations people. Uncle Widdy discusses the need for truth-telling, mutual respect, and self-education to tackle these enduring issues, contributing to what is termed .
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26/01/2025

The discussion around commemorating the Australian narrative often focuses on honouring war veterans, but it's crucial to also recognise Aboriginal communities' histories. Aden Ridgeway, the NSW Treaty Commissioner and a Gumbayynggir man, highlights the importance of this perspective, particularly on and near Survival Day.

Uncle David Wragge, a Wakka Wakka elder and member of the Healing Foundation's Stolen Generations Reference Group and Director of the Cherbourg Boys and Girls Dormitory Group, underscores the critical role of truth-telling and education for all Australians. He agrees and asserts that these principles should be upheld not just on Survival Day, but every day of the year.
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25/01/2025

This Survival Day, Professor Mick Dodson AO (Yawuru), the Former Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner 1993 to 1998, emphasises the importance of self-education for all Australians about the nation's true history. He advocates for ongoing reflection and understanding throughout the year.

Aunty Barbara Simms-Keeley, a proud Bidjigal and Wadi Wadi Stolen Generations survivor, calls on all Australians to honor the experiences of Stolen Generations survivors and the broader First Nations community. Aunty Barb highlights the significance of truth-telling, self-reflection, and respect, not only on this day but every day. .
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