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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 8 Hansard (26 August) . . Page.. 2377 ..

MRS MILLS (continuing):

It has my mother's name and address on the top of it, but this was typed by, obviously, the Welfare Department. It reads:

In reference with regards to my children, how are they all, my enquiries about my children has now been delayed for some time, this is due to me, for being away from home, I have been away as per usual, working out on a fencing job at Yarden Station but will soon be home again at the end of this month or beginning of next month, but if at any time you want to get in contact with me you will just know where to find me, but when posting all my mail, please address to post office, Yaninee.

Now for the total amount of cash that is being owed into the Welfare Department, how much is there really owing and if this is being paid, is there still any chance of me having my children back with me, I would like to have my baby daughter Yvonne back with me for Christmas at the end of the month until the other business is fixed, if all is being paid well I hope to have all my children home for Christmas.

The second letter was written in 1957, and it is in my mother's handwriting. It says:

Dear Sir, I am writing you this letter in an effort to find out whether there would be any chance for my two eldest children to come over and spend Christmas with me, that's Allan and Joylene. Their uncle is here in Lincoln and would like all the children to come over and spend Christmas with us. He has asked me to write over and ask for a permit, and we would see them all back again in your care, if you agree to that, do write and let me know next per mail if that could be done.

The children's uncle is my husband's brother, he is married and has a family of his own.

She signed the letter. There is a postscript to this letter, which says:

How are all my children?

Mr Speaker, those letters were not written by a woman who voluntarily gave her children away. They were the words of a woman who still had a lot of hope - hope that her children would be returned. Unfortunately, they were also the words of a woman who, even though she was granted unconditional exemption, was still being controlled by the system because she was Aboriginal.

In 1991, former Royal Commissioner Elliott Johnston, QC, produced a national report on the findings of the 99 indigenous deaths in custody that were investigated. In that report, he explained the degree of control agencies had over the lives of indigenous Australians. He stated:

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