Report: Stolen Generations survivors face markedly worse health and socioeconomic outcomes than other First Nations people

The useful part

Photograph: AAP View image in fullscreen A new report reveals the long-term intergenerational impacts of the forced removal of Indigenous children, a policy adopted by all Australian governments up to the 1970s. Compared with non-Indigenous Australians, survivors were six times more likely to have kidney disease, 4.8 times more likely to have a severe or disability, and 3.9 times more likely to report high psychological distress. "The collective pattern indicates that Stolen Generations survivors experience generally more challenging socioeconomic circumstances than other Indigenous people," the report said.

How it works

• 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.
• "I think what this report really does is highlight how you know these race-based policies conducted over decades are still very much with us," she says.
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• The report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) was commissioned by peak advocacy body the Healing Foundation, which supports Stolen Generations survivors and their families, and builds...
• Their descendants were 1.3 times more likely both to report high psychological distress and to be diagnosed with a mental health condition.

What to take from it

Explore more on these topics Indigenous Australians Stolen Generations Health Inequality news Share Reuse this content More on this story More on this story Bruce Pascoe's new book may spark another culture war.

Details worth keeping

Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email Released on Tuesday, the report 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. Survivors were 2.7 times more likely to have severe or disability than other Indigenous Australians, and 1.7 times as likely to have been admitted to hospital in the past 12 months even when differences such as age, sex and remoteness of location were taken into account. The report also found that Stolen Generations survivors were nearly twice as likely as other Indigenous peoples to report high levels of psychological distress, and 1.6 times likely to report experiencing mental or behavioural health conditions.

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