Victorian Stolen Generations Reparations Scheme Design Consultations

This project was funded by the Victorian Labor government and administered by the Stolen Generations Reparations Steering Committee (SGRSC)

The Steering Committee is made up of nine Stolen Generations people and descendants and four representatives from organisations working closely with Stolen Generations (Connecting Home Ltd, Link-Up Victoria, KHT-Koorie Family History Service, Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service)

Who funded the project

 

The Victorian Government announced the Victorian Stolen Generations Reparations in March 2020.

The Stolen Generations Reparations Steering Committee was established in December 2020 to provide recommendations and oversight on the design of reparations to Victorian Stolen Generations.

Karabena Consulting was engaged to facilitate seven yarning circles around Victoria and online with Stolen Generations people and descendants to inform the design and inclusions of the Reparations Scheme.

The yarning circle format was revised during the first consultation to small groups creating mind maps in response to the focus questions. Some participants also created vision boards.

Initial findings were provided to the Stolen Generations Reparations Steering Committee for presentation to the Victorian Government, after which an interim Funeral Fund was announced for Victorian Stolen Generations in February 2021.

Following the completion of consultations, Karabena provided a full report of outcomes to the SGRSC to inform their report of recommendations to the Victorian government.

Summary

 

Karabena Consulting’s pivot from a yarning circle format to group work assisted keeping consultations focused on the aspects of the Reparations Scheme rather than revisiting trauma.

Methodological outcomes

 

  • Seven workshops were facilitated around Victoria. Each workshop produced vision boards and mind maps.

  • A final report documenting the consultations was produced and submitted to Stolen Generations Reparations Steering Committee

Outputs

 

Based on the interim findings, the Premier of Victoria announced in April 2021 the establishment of a Stolen Generations funeral fund.

The Stolen Generations Reparations Steering Committee produced a report in July 2021 based on the consultations undertaken and recommendations proposed by Karabena Consulting and other First Nations consulting agencies engaged in the project. The report can be found here.

In July 2022, an announcement was made by the City of Melbourne that a Stolen Generations Marker would be built in Melbourne to commemorate Victoria’s Stolen Generation. The decision to create a marker stemmed from one of the recommendations proposed in the Stolen Generations Reparations Steering Committee Report.

Project Outcomes

 

Public response

 

Stolen Generations Reparations Scheme, trauma-informed, Connecting Home, Aboriginal, Victoria, Bringing Them Home, yarning circle

Keywords

Kerry Arabena