Not Seen, Not Heard: The Hidden Stolen Generation

Mat Tinkler, Muriel Bamblett, Andrew Jackomos and Natalie Lewis

In 2008, when Kevin Rudd made his historic apology to the Stolen Generations of Indigenous Australians, he envisaged ‘a future where this parliament resolves that the injustices of the past must never, never happen again.’

Since that speech, the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care has surged by an appalling 65 per cent. Today there are more than 15,000 Indigenous kids living in out-of-home care; they are nine times more likely than non-Indigenous kids to be removed from their parents.

With host Mat Tinkler, Muriel Bamblett, Andrew Jackomos and Natalie Lewis discuss the attitudes and policies that lead to child removals, and the thinking behind these practices. How does systemic discrimination lead to child removal? How are Indigenous leaders shaping the conversation and bringing change?

Are governments willing to listen to, and empower, Aboriginal communities and people to direct solutions? The panel talk about the importance of a Treaty that has specific provisions for Aboriginal kids, and of developing national guidelines rather than state-specific policies and organisations, in this discussion of a critical issue for all Australians.

Presented in partnership with the Family Matters campaign.