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This content may contain material that is confronting and disturbing, and which may cause sadness or distress. 24 hour support can be accessed:
- VAHS Yarning SafeNStrong
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Further support for members of the Stolen Generations and their families is available.
- Connecting Home
(03) 8679 0777 or email sgr@connectinghome.org.au - Link-Up Victoria
(03) 9287 8800 or email linkup@vacca.org
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On 31 March 2022, the Victorian Government opened the Stolen Generations Reparations Package.
The package is to help address the trauma and suffering caused by the forced removal of Aboriginal children from their families, community, culture, identity and language.
There are 3 ways to apply for a package:
- online form
- downloadable form
- contacting us to have a paper form sent to you.
Applications close 31 March 2027.
Complete your application online
You only need to create an account once. Once you have created an account, click 'access' your account to access a saved application or draft, or to submit a new application for someone else (for example, a family member).
Download a form or guideline
To ask for a form to be posted to you, email us at stolen.generations@justice.vic.gov.au.
Who can apply
You are eligible to receive a Package if you:
- are an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person and
- were first removed from your family by a government or non-government agency before 31 December 1976, while under the age of 18 years and
- were first removed in Victoria and
- were separated from your family for a period of time that resulted in the experience of loss of family, community, culture, identity and language and
- are living at the time of lodging your Application Form, and have lodged a valid application with all necessary supporting identification documents.
How to apply
To apply you need to complete the application form and provide supporting documents.
Please email stolen.generations@justice.vic.gov.au or phone 1800 566 071 if you have difficulty providing these documents.
You need to submit:
- a completed and signed application form
- copies of two kinds of accepted identification
- a photo of yourself holding one of the pieces of identification.
Please note: your application is not valid and cannot be processed without these documents.
You may also be asked to submit:
- evidence of a name change
- a Form Three – Application for an advance payment, if you are applying for an advance payment
- a Form Two – Nomination of a Support Person or Organisation, if you would like to authorise someone to speak to us on your behalf
- proof of Power of Attorney or Guardianship if you are applying for someone in this capacity.
Identification
As a part of your application you need to provide identification.
This is done by including:
- copies of 2 different kinds of identification showing:
- your legal name (which must match your application)
- your birth date on at least one.
- a photo of yourself holding one of these pieces of identification.
The following are acceptable kinds of identification:
- Driver’s/learner’s permit, firearm, or marine licence
- Proof of Age Card
- Keypass
- Commonwealth Government Concession Card (including Health Care Card)
- Department of Veterans Affairs Health Card
- Birth Certificate
- Working with Children Check Card
- Pensioner Concession Card
- Medicare Card
- Passport
- Bank Card (copies on both sides) issued by an Australian institution
- Bank Statement issued by an Australian institution
- Utility Statement (gas, water, electricity, mobile or home phone)
- Australian Taxation Office Assessment
- Student or Tertiary Institution Identification card
- Executed lease agreement
Change of name
If your name has changed since you were removed, please provide a copy of the document(s) showing your name change:
- marriage certificate
- registration of name change (Deed Poll)
- adoption certificate or similar (contact us if you require help accessing this)
- another official document verifying name change (such as a statutory declaration).
You can include these documents when you submit your application or give them to us later if you wish. You need to provide these documents before your application can progress.
If you do not have access to this information, an organisation may confirm your identity.
Please contact us for more information at stolen.generations@justice.vic.gov.au.
You can seek support from:
- a Bringing Them Home worker
- Connecting Home
- Link-Up Victoria
- your local Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service.
An applicant has passed away
If an applicant has passed away, their application will continue to be processed if they submitted a valid application following the process in the Package Guidelines.
To be valid, the application must include:
- a completed and signed application form
- copies of two kinds of accepted identification
- a photo of the applicant holding one of the pieces of identification.
If you are the next of kin for an applicant who has passed away, please contact us so we can support you and talk about next steps.
Email: stolen.generations@justice.vic.gov.au
Phone: 1800 566 071
Stolen Generations Funeral Fund
The Funeral Fund provides eligible applicants with up to $10,000 to cover the costs of a funeral, headstone or plaque and/or repatriation of your Stolen Generations family member.
It is administered by Connecting Home.
For more information see firstpeoplesrelations.vic.gov.au.
Proof of removal
You do not need to provide proof of your removal. When you submit your application, you can give us permission to search government and other records on your behalf.
If you already have records about your removal, you can choose to provide them to us. This may speed up the processing of your application.
We are looking for records that show:
- you were removed from your family
- that you were removed before 31 December 1976 (for example, a record with date of removal)
- that you were first removed in Victoria (for example, a record stating where you were initially removed from)
- the time period of your removal (for example, a record showing you were adopted or a record that showed you were removed for more than three months).
Application process
Stage 1
New application
You can submit your application by post, email or online.
We will contact you within 2 weeks to acknowledge that we received it.
Supports are available to complete the application or to access services, such as trauma-informed counselling. Please contact us on 1800 566 071 for information about the supports available to you.
Completeness
The Completeness stage takes up to 2 weeks.
We check that you have signed the application form and included all the required identity documents.
If we find that there are some documents missing, we will contact you or your nominated support person.
If we have requested further information or documents, we need to hear back from you as soon as possible so we can continue with your application. This may take more than the 2 weeks mentioned above.
Stage 2
Eligibility
The Eligibility stage can take up to 8 weeks.
Your application is being assessed to see if it is ready to go to the Independent Assessment Panel. Some people’s applications are ready. Many people’s applications need further information.
If you applied for the Advance Payment because you are very unwell, then this is being assessed now.
If your application is outside the scope of the package (e.g. you were first removed outside Victoria or after 31 Dec 1976), we will tell you at this stage and explain why. If you have information that supports your application, you can contact us and we will consider it.
Research
The Research stage takes 4 to 13 weeks.
If we need to do more research to support your application and you have given consent to search the public records, then we will do that.
We only send applications to approved Government agencies to do this. The Government agencies then send information back to us (the department). We assess it and decide if we have all we need to progress.
If you have not provided consent for us to search the public records or the public records have limited information, the department may contact you for more information. This could take more than the 13 weeks mentioned above.
Stage 3
Ready for the Independent Assessment Panel
If your application is Ready for the Independent Assessment Panel (IAP), it has been assessed and the department prepares a Summary of Information for the IAP. The summary of information shows how your application meets the requirements for the package.
We can take up to 3 weeks to assess all the information and write it up. The Panel meets monthly. Your application will be heard at the next monthly meeting.
Decision
The Decision stage can take up to 4 weeks.
The Independent Assessment Panel (IAP) assesses your application. You will be contacted soon after the IAP meeting to tell you the outcome. The IAP may request more information from you before making a decision.
If more research or information is needed and you have given consent to search the public records, then we may do that. This may take more than the 4 weeks mentioned above.
Stage 4
Requesting a review
You (or your nominated support person or organisation) can ask for a review if you do not agree with your outcome (the decision of the Independent Assessment Panel).
To ask for a review, you must submit a Request for a Review form.
You may provide new information to support your application with your Request for a Review or by contacting us.
Your Request for a Review form must be received by the Department before the application close date for the Package on 31 March 2027.
Once the form is received, the Review Panel will review your application and decide if you meet the eligibility criteria for the Package. The Review Panel will be different to the Panel that decided your original outcome.
Please note: you can request a review if you do not agree with your outcome. If you are not satisfied with our service, you may provide feedback or make a complaint.
Advance payments if you are medically ill
If you are terminally or critically ill, your application is prioritised.
You may qualify for an advance payment of $20,000 while your application is assessed.
To receive an advance payment, you need to provide:
- a completed and signed application form
- copies of two forms of accepted identification
- a photo of yourself and one of the pieces of identification
- the application for an advance payment form (Form Three) signed by your treating doctor or other medical professional.
The application for an advance payment form asks your treating doctor or other medical professional to confirm that you are either:
- terminally ill or
- critically ill, in that you have an illness that is:
- a life-threatening illness, and
- likely to impact your condition within six months from the date you submit you application, such that you would be prevented from having the full benefit of any payment made if you had to wait for your application to be fully assessed.
You or your doctor or medical professional can send us the completed form at stolen.generations@justice.vic.gov.au.
Interstate applications
If you were removed in a state other than Victoria, you cannot apply for a Victorian package.
This package is for people who were first removed in Victoria. It does not matter if you were born in or lived in another state, what is important is that your removal happened in Victoria.
Other reparation and redress schemes in Australia
If you meet the eligibility criteria, you can apply here even if you have applied to another package or scheme. This includes other Stolen Generations redress packages or schemes in other states and the National Redress Scheme.
- For information on the New South Wales Stolen Generations Reparations Scheme and Funeral Assistance Fund, visit the Aboriginal Affairs NSW Government website or call 1800 019 998.
- For information on Territories Stolen Generations Redress Scheme (Northern Territory, Australian Capital Territory before self-government, and Jervis Bay Territory) visit the National Indigenous Australians Agency or call 1800 566 111.
Helping someone else to apply
Nominated Support Person or Organisation
You can give permission for any person or organisation who you trust to help you apply for the Package. This person or organisation is called a Nominated Support Person or Organisation.
A Nominated Support Person or Organisation can submit your application on your behalf; however, it must be signed by you.
A Nominated Support Person or Organisation can:
- share and receive information about your application, including personal information about you
- fill out the application for you. However, you must sign it and they cannot sign for you.
To appoint a Nominated Support Person or Organisation, both the applicant and the Nominated Support Person or Organisation must:
- fill out and sign a Form Two – Nomination of a Support Person or Organisation
- have a third individual witness these signatures
A Nominated Support Person or Organisation cannot:
- sign your application for you
- make decisions about your application
- make decisions about the contents of your package
- withdraw your application
- receive payments made by the package.
Note: All payments go directly to you.
You can withdraw or change your Nominated Support Person or Organisation at any time by contacting us at stolen.generations@justice.vic.gov.au or 1800 566 071.
Please include your completed Nominated Support Person or Organisation form when you submit your application.
Legal guardianship and power of attorney
You may already have a guardianship or power of attorney allowing someone else to make decisions on your behalf. This person can make decisions about your application for you.
When you submit your application please include a copy of the documentation showing the legal appointment of your Guardian or Power of Attorney.
Applications from prison
Applications can be made from prison by mail using the Stolen Generations Reparations Package - Application Form. The department will also conduct outreach into Victorian prisons to provide information about the package and application forms.
Exemptions on financial reparations
Social security income test treatment of payments under the Victorian Stolen Generations Reparations Package
Payments from the Victorian Stolen Generations Reparations Package will not be counted as income for social security payments. This means that the initial lump sum amount will not have any effect on the social security payments you may receive.
While the initial lump sum payment will not affect social security payments, any on-going income generated by the lump sum is counted under the income test, and any assessable asset produced from the lump sum is counted under the social security assets test.
You will still need to report these payments to Services Australia. You can contact the Services Australia Indigenous Call Centre, or your regular payment line, to advise of the payments. Please find contact details of the Indigenous Call Centre below.
The Indigenous Call Centre can be contacted on 1800 136 380 from 8 am – 5 pm, Monday – Friday.
Australian Tax Office
Financial reparations made to eligible applicants (including the Funeral Fund) are not taxable. The following fact sheet includes all the relevant information.
Support services
Once you have submitted your application for the package, you can access support services, including:
- trauma-informed counselling
- financial planning and advice
- legal advice.
Funding is available for each of these supports:
- trauma-informed counselling – up to 35 hours at up to $240 per hour (including GST)
- financial planning and advice – up to five hours at up to $250 per hour (including GST)
- legal advice – up to five hours at up to $400 per hour (including GST).
You can choose your own provider, or we can recommend a provider to you. Providers must be based in Australia and recognised and licensed to deliver the service.
We will fund these services to the rates set out above. Where possible we will pay the provider directly.
Contact your support coordinator who can help you access support services.
People with disability
If you have a disability and require additional support to complete your application or progress through the application process, we may be able to fund suitable supports.
Please contact us at stolen.generations@justice.vic.gov.au.
Independent Assessment Panel
The Independent Assessment Panel is a non-statutory committee established by the Department of Justice and Community Safety. The panel decides if the applications are eligible for a Stolen Generations Reparations Package.
In performing its functions, the panel is informed by the recommendations of the Stolen Generations Reparations Steering Committee, the Bringing Them Home Report and the Package Guidelines, including the Package Guiding Principles.
Panel members have been selected because they are:
- members or descendants of members of the Stolen Generations; and/or
- have experience in law, policy development, advocacy, public administration, and decision-making on complex matters and/or redress schemes.
The panel currently has 7 members, including 2 deputy chairpersons. Most members are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Island persons.
Panel members
The establishment of the panel is consistent with the Victorian Government’s commitment to Aboriginal self-determination and seeks to avoid further harm and re-traumatisation to Stolen Generations people.
The role of the panel ensures that claims are decided by an Aboriginal-led body, at arm’s length from government. Establishing the panel aligns with with recommendation 29 of the Final Report and the Bringing Them Home report that any decision-making for monetary reparations should include Aboriginal people.
Design of the package
The package was designed by the Stolen Generations Steering Committee which consisted of Stolen Generations, their descendants and community-controlled support organisations. This community-led process ensured Aboriginal leadership and decision-making in the design of the Package.
The Steering Committee heard from more than 400 members of the Stolen Generations and their families to inform the design of the package.
The Steering Committee’s Final Report was provided to Government in July 2021 with a total of 56 recommendations. Government has accepted the final report's recommendations relating to the package design (part one).
Government is also committed to a whole of government response to part two of the final report. This will form part of the future work of the department.
Stolen Generations Advisory Committee
To ensure continued Aboriginal leadership in the implementation and delivery of the package, the Department of Justice and Community Safety established the Stolen Generations Advisory Committee.
Wotjobaluk woman Aunty Annie Moore is the Advisory Committee Chair.
Other members are:
- Sandra Lee Barber, Dja Dja Wurrung, Yorta Yorta and Wemba Wamba woman
- Daria Atkinson, Wemba Wemba/Yorta Yorta First Nations woman
- Gina Bundle, Yuin woman
- Rod Jackson, Palawa man
- Tricia Woodcock, Wiradjuri woman
- Jacinta Walsh, Jaru Yawuru woman
- Dr Rebecca Lyons, Wiradjuri/Ngiyampaa/Ngunnawal woman.
Members of the Advisory Committee were chosen through an open expression of interest process.
Members have deep ties into communities across Victoria. Their advice to the department calls on both their lived experience of Stolen Generation policies and their professional backgrounds. Their leadership will help make sure the process continues to be community led.
Restriction to pre-31 December 1976 removals
The package is restricted to people whose removal happened before 31 December 1976.
This is because changes to Commonwealth and State laws ended many policies of removal based on race at this time.
Also the creation of the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency in 1976 helped give greater community input into “child protection” decisions. You can read the Stolen Generations Reparations Package Steering Committee’s final report to find out more about this.
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Information about the artwork
The artwork on this page is a 2021 work called 'My Spiritual Journey'. It is by the artist, Fay Thorpe. She says:
"My Spiritual Journey is about my journey through life as a member of the Stolen Generations. For as long as I can remember Bunjil has been watching upon me. Bunjil has guided me with strength and courage to keep me going through all of these years… Bunjil is my protector".
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