Stolen Generations survivors aged 50 and over and descendants of Stolen Generations aged 18 and over experience significantly poorer health and welfare outcomes on a number of selected measures compared with other Indigenous Australians of the same age and compared with the non-Indigenous population.
Commissioned by The Healing Foundation, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Stolen Generations survivors and descendants: updated analyses for 2022-23 is the latest in a series of reports seeking to strengthen visibility of the circumstances faced by Stolen Generations survivors and descendants, based on national survey data.
There were 23,300 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 50 and over in 2022-23 who were survivors of the Stolen Generations according to new estimates, equating to 1 in 7 Indigenous Australians of the same age. Survivors are an ageing population, with about one third aged 65 or over.
'Many survivors and descendants of the Stolen Generations continue to experience significant challenges across multiple aspects of life including health, disability, psychological wellbeing and financial security', said AIHW spokesperson Dr Martin Edvardsson.
Outcomes among survivors
Compared with other Indigenous Australians, survivors were 2.7 times as likely to have a severe or profound disability, 1.7 times as likely to have been admitted to hospital in the past year, 1.9 times as likely to report high psychological distress and 1.6 times as likely to have a mental or behavioural condition.
Compared with non-Indigenous Australians, survivors were 6 times as likely to have kidney disease, 4.8 times as likely to have a severe or profound disability, 3.9 times as likely to report high psychological distress and 3.0 times as likely to have poor or fair self-assessed health.
'Understanding the needs of Stolen Generations survivors through the existing data sources will be increasingly challenging as survivors grow older and become less well represented in household surveys', said Dr Edvardsson.
'Data development work involving administrative data may be needed to inform service delivery and policy programs.'
Outcomes among descendants
About half of Indigenous people aged 18 and over were descendants of the Stolen Generations in 2022-23.
Descendants were 1.3 times as likely to report high psychological distress, 1.2 times as likely to have had days without money for basic living expenses and were 1.3 times as likely to have been diagnosed with a mental health condition compared with other Indigenous Australians.
Compared with non-Indigenous Australians, descendants were 2.6 times as likely to have a severe or profound disability, 2.5 times as likely to report high psychological distress and 2 times as likely to not currently be employed.
The Healing Foundation Board Chair Professor Steve Larkin (Kungarakan) said the AIHW analysis was another important addition to the existing evidence about the enduring impacts of forced removal policies, both on survivors and across generations.
'Stolen Generations survivors, like all Australians, want healthy and happy futures for themselves and their families - but as this data shows they continue to experience significantly poorer health, wellbeing and socioeconomic outcomes and descendants are living with very clear intergenerational effects,' said Professor Larkin.
'The data tells us that this is a contemporary policy issue, not a historical one - survivors are still with us, they are ageing and require urgent access to culturally safe support in aged care, social services, health and wellbeing.'
For support: This report discusses experiences of forced removal and its ongoing impacts. We acknowledge that these topics may bring up strong emotions, particularly for Stolen Generations survivors, their families and communities.
