Stolen Generation compensation scheme comes under fire
SOUTH Australian members of the Stolen Generation are being interim payments before they die as the Opposition argues the scheme is taking to long to roll out.
ABORIGINAL people from South Australia’s Stolen Generations have been given advance $5000 payments because of fears they will die before receiving their full compensation entitlement.
Stolen Generations Reparation Scheme independent assessor John Hill has told State Parliament that demand has been higher than expected, with almost 450 applicants.
Mr Hill said his office was yet to meet with more than half of them, and final payments could not be determined until all applicants were assessed because each successful applicant would receive the same amount.
However, interim payments have been made to some seriously ill victims, who have since died before their applications were fully assessed.
That revelation has prompted criticism from the Opposition that the State Government is dragging its heels with the reparations scheme, which was open for applications for a year until March 31.
It will fund up to $6 million in ex-gratia payments to individuals who are members of the Stolen Generations.
Payments of up to $50,000 were spruiked when the scheme was first announced.
However, final payments could end up being less than $20,000 due to the greater than anticipated demand.
“One or two of the people who died, we have been able to make a (interim) payment to before they died,” Mr Hill said.
“So we have given an interim payment of $5000 to a number of people as a first stage of the settlement.
“We won’t know how much individuals will get until the end because it is a mathematical thing.
“It is $6 million divided by the number who are successful, so we can’t do that until the end. We are trying to expedite those who have made a request, but the volume who have sought expedition has been so large that, if everybody wants to be special, then it is a bit hard to make that happen.”
Opposition Leader Steven Marshall, who is also Liberal Aboriginal affairs spokesman, said it was “appalling how slowly the Government has moved on this issue”.
“People have died while they have been waiting for their compensation,” he said.
“A Stolen Generations compensation scheme could have been in place three years ago but Labor refused to deal with the matter when the Parliament wanted to create a scheme.”
Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation Minister Kyam Maher said eligible applicants who have a serious medical condition, or are quite elderly, can be recommended for an advance part-payment.
“There are no plans at this time to increase the $6 million compensation fund,” he said.
“Additional resources have been allocated to assist with the processing of applications.”