Indigenous Australians forcibly removed under government policies have more health challenges than other First Nations people

The tens of thousands of Indigenous Australians and their descendants who were forcibly removed under government assimilation policies have far greater physical and health challenges when compared with the wider Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations, according to a new report released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

The report uses survey data from 2022 and 2023 of Stolen Generation members, and reveals the stark inequities and the long-term intergenerational impacts of forced removals, a policy adopted by all Australian governments up to the 1970s under racist assimilation laws, which led to Indigenous children being put into institutions, or were fostered or adopted out to non-Indigenous families, where many of them suffered harsh, degrading treatment and sexual abuse after being taken from their families.

About 200,000 people – or 45% of Indigenous Australians aged over 18 – have a parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle who was removed from their family. Compared with non-Indigenous Australians, survivors were more likely to have kidney disease, a severe or profound disability, and high psychological distress. The report also found that survivors and descendents experienced greater socioeconomic challenges and distress, such as being less likely to be able to pay for unexpected emergency costs, or experiencing more days where they were unable to afford their essential needs.

Dr Martin Edvardsson, the acting head of First Nations health at AIHW, said Australia lacked comprehensive data on the experiences and needs of Stolen Generation survivors and their families. Leonie Williamson, the deputy CEO of the Healing Foundation also said the report lays bare the devastating long term impacts of removing children from their family and communities. Both experts and other First Nation representatives urge for trauma-informed holistic support for survivors and their descendants from state and territory governments.