The Western Australian government has formally apologized to thousands of Indigenous workers who received little or no pay for almost four decades.
Prime Minister Roger Cook said legislation intended to protect Aboriginal people actually resulted in discrimination, hardship and exploitation.
“I apologize to Aboriginal men, women and children who worked in Western Australia between 1936 and 1972, often for decades, with little or no pay,” he told WA Parliament on Tuesday.
Mr Cook said many of the people exploited during that period were no longer alive and he apologized to their descendants.
Senior Gooniyandi elder Mervyn Street (pictured) initiated legal action in the Federal Court in 2020 on behalf of the surviving workers and their relatives
“We are sorry for the pain and loss your loved one has suffered,” he said.
“The fact that this treatment has continued for Aboriginal workers for decades is a stain on the legacy of successive governments.”
Senior Gooniyandi elder Mervyn Street launched legal action in the Federal Court in 2020 on behalf of the surviving workers and their relatives.
Mr Street was in State Parliament for the Prime Minister’s formal apology on behalf of the WA people.
“I’m very happy to hear that,” the drover-turned-artist told reporters outside parliament.
The wage policy allowed the state government to withhold up to 75 percent of an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander worker’s wages.
West Australian Prime Minister Roger Cook (pictured) apologized on behalf of the state on Tuesday to thousands of Indigenous workers who received little to no wages between 1936 and 1972.
Aboriginal Affairs Minister Tony Buti said it was based on the belief that Aboriginal people were not worthy of equal rights.
“This was a shameful period in our history,” he said.
He said the legacy of the laws continued and widespread social and economic harm was evident across the Aboriginal community.
The WA government settled the case in early November, with families and survivors set to be financially compensated.
The settlement still needs to be approved by the Federal Court, which will happen after the eligible workers and their families have been registered.
The court will also decide the exact amount to be paid to each worker or their family, although the WA government has agreed to a payout of up to $180.4 million, with each claimant eligible for $16,500.
Mr Street (pictured) was in State Parliament for the Prime Minister’s formal apology on behalf of the Western Australian people
Bringing The Home and the WA Stolen Generations Aboriginal Corporation welcomed the apology but said the settlement was not enough.
Many of the workers were in the Kimberley region on pastoral stations and in institutions and missions.
Lawyer Vicky Antzoulatos previously said the apology was an important step towards reconciliation for the Aboriginal men, women and children who worked under the policy “often in horrific conditions”.
“It’s a shameful part of WA’s history,” she said.
‘The government has rightly recognized this injustice and from conversations with our clients we know what this recognition means for many of the people we represent.’