Territories Stolen Generations Redress Scheme overview 125-23030919

The Territories Stolen Generations Redress Scheme is:

• a financial and wellbeing package
• administered by the National Indigenous Australians Agency. Services Australia does not administer the Scheme

The Scheme is for Stolen Generations survivors who were removed as children from their family or community in one of the following:

• Northern Territory, before 1 July 1978
• Australian Capital Territory, before 11 May 1989, or
• Jervis Bay Territory

The Scheme seeks to:

• recognise the harm and trauma experienced by Stolen Generations survivors
• recognise the harm caused by forced removal from family for Stolen Generation survivors
• help with the healing of this trauma for the Stolen Generations survivors who were forcibly removed in the territories
• help the Stolen Generations survivors gain access to:
• counselling and support services
• a direct face-to-face or written apology, and
• a financial payment

The Scheme is open for applications from 1 March 2022 to 28 February 2026, and offers eligible applicants:

• a one-off payment of up to $75,000
• a one-off healing assistance payment of $7,000
• Direct Personal Response. This involves telling their story to a senior Australian Government person, and the impact the removal from their family or community had on them. They can have their story acknowledged face-to-face, and/or they can ask for a personal letter
• access to free practical and emotional support, legal advice, and financial counselling

Payments made under the Scheme do not affect a person's eligibility or entitlement for any:

• pension
• benefit
• payment, or
• service

For the purposes of the Social Security Act 1991, the agency will not:

• consider these payments as meeting the definition of compensation, or
• count the payments as income

The agency will assess any ongoing income generated by the lump sum and/or any asset produced under the assets test.

If a customer has questions about the Scheme, staff should:

• be mindful that this subject may be very hard to read about or talk about. It may bring up difficult feelings and memories
• tell them to contact the National Indigenous Australians Agency