Western Australia has become the second state to be subject to an Australian Human Rights Commission complaint for the discriminatory removal of First Nations children from their families.
n one case, Lisa* was allegedly removed from her family by Communities at age seven and taken 600 km from her home. She was placed in ten different foster homes, suffering sexual and physical abuse, all of which was allegedly reported to Communities who did not follow up the complaints.
In another case, Heather*, had her children removed by Communities, despite suffering abuse at the hands of her partner and father of her kids. They were placed with a non-Indigenous family, allegedly disconnected from their family, culture and community. When she became pregnant again, Communities removed her child shortly after birth.
Both women continue to suffer from long-term trauma and depression as a result of these actions.
The complaint is the second filed by Shine Lawyers to the AHRC concerning a child protection department unlawfully removing Indigenous children, which may lead to a class action for concerned families.
The first complaint was lodged against the NSW Department of Communities and Justice in January.
Class actions special counsel, Caitlin Wilson, said Indigenous families across the country had been “torn apart in this modern-day Stolen Generation”.
“We hope that each claim in each State will set us on the path to file class actions for these marginalised families who will never know a life without the weight of this trauma.”
Source: WA First Nations child removal complaint filed in H… | NIT
The problem that can arise is that non ‘removal from culture’ can be seen as more important than the child’s safety.
See the Debra Melville case in NT ‘Life Long Shadow’ https://ombudsman.nt.gov.au/news-and-publications/2025/a-life-long-shadow-report-of-a-partial-investigation-of-the-child-protection-authority)
Young child protection social workers are so afraid of making a ‘cultural mistake’ that they do not assess the situation objectively. This is the intersection between Critical Race Theory and practice and it is littered with dead and damaged children. Alas.
Also see the Four Corners episode ‘Dangerous Territory’.