Stolen Generations survivors have more health challenges than other First Nations people

A new report reveals the long-term intergenerational impacts of the forced removal of Indigenous children, a policy adopted by all Australian governments up to the 1970s. Photograph: AAP

The tens of thousands of Indigenous Australians and their descendants who were forcibly removed under government assimilation policies have far greater physical and health challenges when compared with the wider Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations, according to a new report.

The report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) was commissioned by peak advocacy body the Healing Foundation, which supports Stolen Generations survivors and their families, and builds on existing data released in 2023.