ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst

‘Homes are sought for these children’: Locating Adoption within the Australian Stolen Generations Narrative

While the Bringing them home enquiry and subsequent apology has brought the Australian experience of Indigenous child removal to national and international prominence, much of the subsequent debate has focused on the abusive treatment that was endemic in the institutions and work placements which have been central to survivor testimonies. In the post WWII era, however, adoption played an increasing role in relation to Indigenous children. Depicted as a benevolent act, and marking a substantial shift away from the emphasis on infertility and matching that had previously characterised professional practice, adoption also served to increase the pressure for ever earlier removal, and hence posed a far greater threat to cultural identity and family bonds. Drawing on contemporary media representations, policy and practice documents and the published memoirs of both Indigenous adoptees and their adoptive parents, this paper will position adoption within the broader Stolen Generations narrative.