Apply

Who can apply

You can apply if:

• You are a person of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent, or both, who is a Stolen Generations survivor.
• You were under 18 years old when you were removed from your family or community.
• Government or non-government officers or agencies removed you.
• You were removed from the:
  • Northern Territory before 1 July 1978.
  • Australian Capital Territory before 11 May 1989.
  • Jervis Bay Territory.

You can also apply on behalf of a family member who passed away, if:

• They passed on or after the Scheme’s announcement on 5 August 2021.
• They meet all the criteria above.

Application period

You can apply any time between 1 March 2022 and 28 February 2026.

What you can apply for

The Scheme seeks to recognise the harm and trauma experienced by Stolen Generations survivors. The Scheme offers a:

• redress payment of up to $75,000
• healing assistance payment of $7,000
• Personal Acknowledgement.

A Personal Acknowledgement is the opportunity for your story about removal and the impact it has had on you to be acknowledged by a senior government person and receive a personalised and genuine acknowledgement of the resulting harm and trauma. Personal Acknowledgements can be face-to-face, in writing (a personal letter), or both.

Redress payments

Any redress payment you may receive:

• Are exempt from income tax.
• Generally do not count as income or taxable income for means-tested Commonwealth payments or benefits but may affect assets tests.
• Will not impact any payments you may receive from the National Redress Scheme for institutional child sexual abuse, as the schemes are for two different purposes.

If you receive Centrelink payments and you give or gift any of the redress payment, let Centrelink know, because it could affect your Centrelink payments.

If you have received other payments for your removal these will be taken into account and deducted from your payments under this Scheme. For instance, this might be a prior payment from a State redress scheme, or a payment you received to settle a legal action. To find out more, please call 1800 566 111 or email help@territoriesredress.gov.au.

Relevant prior payments

If you are found eligible for redress and you have received a relevant prior payment, the amount of the relevant prior payment will be deducted from the Scheme redress payment (up to $75,000).

If you have received a relevant prior payment which equals or exceeds the Scheme redress payment amount, you will not receive the Scheme redress payment.

In either instance, you are still eligible for the Healing Assistance Payment ($7,000) and Personal Acknowledgment components of the Scheme.

What is a relevant prior payment?

A relevant prior payment is a payment from a source other than the Territories Stolen Generations Redress Scheme in recognition of removal only.

If you have already received a payment in acknowledgement of your removal from family or community, for example from a state redress scheme or to settle a legal action, this might be considered a relevant prior payment.

If a payment, or part of a payment, can be identified as being in recognition of removal only, that amount will be assessed as a relevant prior payment. However, if you have received a payment that provides redress for harm suffered subsequent to removal, it will not be assessed as a relevant prior payment.

You must advise the Scheme of any relevant prior payments received, in your Application for redress form or Application for redress on behalf of a person who passed away form, and provide copies of documents relating to these payments. You are required to notify the Scheme within 7 days if you receive a relevant prior payment after submitting your application. To notify us, please call 1800 566 111 or email help@territoriesredress.gov.au.

Relevant prior payments—CPI

In determining the amount of a relevant prior payment to be deducted from payments made under the Scheme, adjustments for CPI will not be applied.

Support available

The Scheme has been designed to do no further harm, it will be delivered in a culturally sensitive way and will align with the trauma informed principles. There might be times when interacting with us may be difficult. 24/7 Support Services are available.

Before you apply, you might like to think about who could give you support to apply if you would like it. You could speak to someone you already know and trust or there are free Scheme Support Services that can help you.

If you would like someone to act on your behalf you need to appoint a redress nominee.

Completing an application

You can:

• Only make one application for redress under the Scheme.
• Apply between 1 March 2022 and 28 February 2026.

Apply online

Sign up for the Application Portal.

To complete the online application form you will need:

1. a valid email address.
2. digital copies of your identity documents.
3. digital copies of supporting documentation or files.

Apply by post

• Download a copy of the Application for redress form. To complete this application form on your screen you will need the free PDF viewer Adobe Acrobat Reader downloaded on your device. Please note: the application form may not operate properly on mobile and tablet devices. 
  
  If you don’t have access to Adobe Acrobat Reader—You can print the form, complete it by hand and return it to us. 
   
• Call us on 1800 566 111 and we will send you a copy.
• Ask your local Link Up service for a copy.

To apply you need to:

• Complete as much of the application as you can, if you cannot answer all of the questions don’t worry we can help you. You can attach copies of supporting records if you have them. Please do not send originals of your documents.
• Confirm your identity.

Make and keep a copy of your application for your records, if you can’t make a copy, let the Scheme know and we will send a copy back to you.

Send postal applications to:

Territories Stolen Generations Redress Scheme 
Reply Paid 83394 
Canberra ACT 2601

If you have any questions about applying please call 1800 566 111 or email help@territoriesredress.gov.au.

Supporting records

You do not need to have records about your removal in order to apply. We will research any records we can access that may help with your application. When you sign the application form, you will give the National Indigenous Australians Agency permission to search for your records on your behalf.

If you have supporting records you would like to include with your application, this will help us process your application. Please do not send your original records.

Supporting documents include, but are not limited to:

• Official records such as government records, police records, church or mission records, or welfare body records.
• Documentary sources such as photographs, magazine articles, newspaper articles, oral histories, manuscripts, or books.
• Contextual records such as protection reports.

Confirm your identity

Confirming your identity is one way your privacy and information is protected. We will ask you to provide two of the following forms of identification when you apply. If you have someone to act on your behalf, they also need to provide two of these forms of current identification and their date of birth.

• Birth certificate
• Drivers licence (front and back)
• Medicare Card
• Centrelink Health Care Card
• Centrelink Seniors health card
• Centrelink Pensioner concession card
• Passport
• Change of name certificate
• Marriage certificate

Please do not send us your original forms of identification.

If you’re having trouble supplying identity documents please call us on 1800 566 111 or email help@territoriesredress.gov.au.

What happens next?

We will contact you or your redress nominee to confirm we have received your application and let you know about the next steps in the application process.

If you want to add more information or change any details in your application, call 1800 566 111 or email help@territoriesredress.gov.au.

Keep your records up-to-date

It is important to let us know if you change your contact details, or if you have any other changes to your circumstances including receiving other redress payments in relation to your removal after submitting your application. You can let us know by calling us on 1800 566 111 or emailing help@territoriesredress.gov.au.

Seeking a review of decision

If you disagree with the outcome of your application, you or your nominee can ask for a Review of Decision (a review). You can request a review at any time up until 30 June 2026.

The form you need to complete is provided as part of your outcome letter.  You can also request a Review of Decision form by:

• calling the Scheme on 1800 566 111
• emailing the Scheme at help@territoriesredress.gov.au or
• writing to Territories Stolen Generations Redress Scheme, Reply Paid 83394, CANBERRA ACT 2601.

An applicant or their nominee may request a review if:

• they were determined to be ineligible for redress under the Scheme, or
• they were determined to be eligible for redress under the Scheme, but were offered a redress payment of less than the maximum available amount of $75,000 due to the deduction of a prior payment amount.

An Independent Assessor will conduct the review. The Independent Assessor will have no connection to the original decision and will conduct a new assessment based on the supporting documents available for the original decision, as well as any new information provided to support your request. New information can be considered but does need to be provided to the Scheme before the completion of the review.

If you request a review, we will acknowledge your request within 2 business days and commence the review within 15 days of sending that acknowledgement. As soon as practical after the Final Review Determination has been made, we will contact you or your nominee.  We’ll then provide you or your nominee with a written notice about the determination, giving an explanation of the outcome and reasons for the decision.

Outcomes of a Review could be:

• affirming the original decision (the outcome of the application remains unchanged)
• varying the original decision (the outcome of the application is varied)
• setting the original decision aside and substituting a new decision (the outcome of the application is changed)

An applicant or their nominee may make one request for a review.

Someone to act on your behalf

If you would like someone to help you interact with the Scheme, or you would like them to act on your behalf. This person will be your redress nominee. A redress nominee is a person you trust and who respects your privacy.

If you have a Centrelink Nominee, National Redress Nominee, or legal nominee acting on your behalf, you still need to appoint a redress nominee.

• Downloading a copy of the Redress Nominee form.
  • To complete this redress nominee form on your screen you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader downloaded on your device. Adobe Acrobat Reader can be downloaded here.  
  • Please note: the application form may not operate properly on mobile and tablet devices.  
  • If you don’t have access to Adobe Acrobat Reader—You can print the form, complete it by hand and return it to us
• Call us on 1800 566 111 and we will send you a copy.
• Ask your local Link Up service for a copy.

Assistance nominees

An assistance nominee is a person over 18 years of age who you, authorise to help you interact with the Scheme. This might be a family member, community member, friend, support worker or lawyer. An assistance nominee can only be appointed if they agree to perform this role.

Assistant nominees can:

• Help you complete your application for redress.
• Receive copies of letters and emails.
• Ask us questions about your application.
• Receive phone calls from us about your application.
• Provide us with information.

Assistance nominees cannot:

• Apply for redress on your behalf.
• Accept or decline an offer of redress, or sign the deed of release, on your behalf.
• Ask for a decision on redress to be reviewed.
• Receive redress on your behalf.

Appointment as an assistance nominee does not entitle the nominee to any remuneration or payment from the applicant or the Scheme.

You can still communicate with us directly if you have an assistance nominee.

An assistance nominee can no longer act on your behalf if:

• You are no longer involved with the Scheme.
• You revoke your authority.
• Events occur, or orders or legal arrangements are made, that require you to be represented by a specified person in matters relating to the Scheme (for example, a guardian).
• You pass away.

You cannot appoint an assistance nominee if you have an existing guardianship, other legal order or legal arrangement in place that would require someone to act for you in matters relating to the Scheme.

Legal Nominees

A legal nominee is a person who has authority to make financial, legal and personal decisions on an applicant’s behalf.

A current legal arrangement must be in place. Otherwise, a person can only act as an assistance nominee.

Legal Nominees can:

• Do all the things above that an assistance nominee can do.
• Apply for redress on your behalf.
• Accept or decline a redress offer on your behalf.
• Accept or decline an offer of redress and sign the deed of release.
• Receive any redress payment into an account held in an applicant’s name.

What must your redress nominee do?

You should talk to your redress nominee about how you would like them to act on your behalf, because they must:

• Understand your wishes and act in your best interests at all times.
• Protect your privacy.
• Let us know about any changes in your circumstances.
• Let us know if they can no longer be your redress nominee.

Please note: you can still talk with the Scheme and its Support Services if you have a redress nominee.

Changing your redress nominee

• You can change your assistance nominee at any time.
• You can only change a Legal Nominee if your legal arrangements change. Or, if your legal nominee asks.
• If you think your redress nominee is not acting in your best interests, call 1800 566 111 or email help@territoriesredress.gov.au.

If you have any questions about redress nominees please call us on 1800 566 111, or email help@territoriesredress.gov.au.

Applying on behalf of a person who has passed away

If a Stolen Generations survivor passes away on or after 5 August 2021, any person can submit an Application for redress on behalf of a person who passed away.

You have until 28 February 2026 to submit an Application for redress on behalf of a person who passed away.

You can call us on 1800 566 111 if you need a copy of the Application for redress on behalf of a person who passed away form to complete.

You will need to be approved by the Scheme as the main contact to progress the application on behalf of the Stolen Generations survivor who passed away. The main contact can be:

• The executor or administrator of the estate of the person who passed away; or
• A family member or another person who was close to the person who passed away, if there is no executor or administrator at the time of applying.

In order for a redress payment to be made, the executor or administrator of the estate must sign the Scheme’s Estate Acceptance Deed, even if someone else originally submitted the application. Payment will then be made to the estate, to be distributed in accordance with the applicant’s will, if they had one, or in accordance with a court order if there is no will.

If a person passes away after they have submitted an Application for redress form but before they have accepted an offer of redress, the application will continue to be progressed. An Application for redress on behalf of a person who passed away form does not need to be submitted in this situation.

To find out more, please call 1800 566 111 or email help@territoriesredress.gov.au.

Fraud reporting

The National Indigenous Australians Agency takes all allegations of fraud seriously. However we can only investigate matters that relate to funds that it we administer and other activities or responsibilities that fall within our domain. We have no jurisdiction to investigate allegations of fraud or the activities of other Government departments or agencies (for example, in relation to the National Redress Scheme, the New South Wales Stolen Generations Reparations Scheme, or the Victorian Stolen Generations Reparations Package).

We have put in a place a range of active measures to prevent, detect, and respond to suspected fraud, and to protect the integrity of the Scheme. Through the use of secure IT systems and arrangements with other government agencies, these measures include, for example, identity checks, bank account verification, and payment verification.

To report suspected or potential fraud on National Indigenous Australians Agency funding or other activities that we administer contact:

The Fraud helpdesk email: fraud@niaa.gov.au

The Fraud hotline: 02 6152 3020

Or write to: 
Fraud Control Officer 
National Indigenous Australians Agency 
PO Box 2191 
Canberra ACT 2600