Apology follows a settlement of a class action launched on behalf of Aboriginal people
The Western Australian government has extended a "historic" apology to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were underpaid between 1936 and 1972.
Premier Roger Cook apologised on behalf of the state at the Western Australian Parliament this week for the so-called "Stolen Wages" period.
"In bringing a close to this part of WA's history, on behalf of the State of Western Australia, I apologise to the Aboriginal men, women and children who worked in WA between 1936 and 1972 - for decades in many cases - for no pay or not enough pay," Cook said.
"While we acknowledge that many of those people have not lived to see this day, for their family members who remain, we are sorry for the hurt and loss that your loved ones suffered."
The so-called "Stolen Wages" period had seen Indigenous people become subject to discriminatory legislation that imposed controls on where they were allowed to work, travel, and live.
It also controlled how much money they were paid, how they were paid, and how they received their wages and entitlements. The policies affected many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, particularly those working in the Kimberley region, on pastoral stations, and within Native Institutions.
Aboriginal Affairs Minister Tony Buti said the WA government recognises that these policies were wrong.
"And we acknowledge the fact that those laws and policies caused great harm and disadvantage," Buti said in a statement. "I recognise the importance an apology has, as recognition, as a move towards reconciliation and as a step in the healing process."
The historic apology follows the settlement of a class action that was launched by Mervyn Street in 2020 on behalf of Aboriginal people across WA.
The Stolen Wages Class Action settlement, which remains subject to Federal Court approval, will see the government pay up to $165 million to eligible Aboriginal workers, their spouses, and children.
The government said an additional $15.4 million will be set aside for legal costs.
Buti said the settlement is a "recognition of the wrongs of the past."
"This settlement is also an opportunity to acknowledge the valuable contributions that Aboriginal and Torres Strait people have made to our State, both past and present."
