2016-02-15
Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert responds to news that shock jock radio Alan Jones has claimed we need more ‘Stolen Generations’ to protect kids:
“Alan Jones said this morning on radio that ‘we need Stolen Generations’. I have news for him, a huge number of children including Aboriginal kids are being taken from families around Australia as we speak.
“It is grossly inappropriate for Mr Jones to capitalise on the pain and suffering of Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander peoples past and present who have been subject to removal decades ago and are having them removed now. Such removals have caused generations of hurt and damage, we can't repeat it.
“Mr Jones’ comments are uninformed and awful. Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander children are ten times more likely to be in out of home care, we need to be focusing on how to reduce that, not making ridiculous comments about the need to increase the number of kids going into care.
“Aboriginal children make up less than 5% of the general population yet they make up 35% of children in out of home care. In my home state of WA it is just over 50%.
“Just days ago I stood with a collective called Grandmothers Against Removals, who are rallying across the country to get their children back and for better support for families.
“As the grandmothers said ‘when you say sorry, you mean sorry and you don’t do it again’.
“This issue is alive and burning, even if we have apologised for it in the past. I call on Alan Jones to apologise for his incredibly uninformed and insensitive remarks and to retract his statements”.