Stolen Generations Marker set to proceed after council approval

A long-awaited marker dedicated to the Stolen Generations is set to be realised in Melbourne’s Alexandra Gardens after receiving approval from a majority of City of Melbourne councillors.

Seven councillors voted on June 2 to endorse the project and begin the procurement processes needed to deliver the marker’s artwork and surrounding landscape.

The Stolen Generations Marker is intended to acknowledge the harm caused by policies that saw Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children forcibly removed from their families between 1910 and the 1970s.

The project began in 2022 in response to the Victorian Government’s report into the Stolen Generations, which recommended the creation of markers to acknowledge and commemorate the experiences of those affected.

The motion was carried with seven votes in favour. No councillors voted against the project, while Cr Philip Le Liu and Cr Gladys Liu abstained. Cr Owen Guest was absent from the meeting.

The discussion lasted almost an hour, with councillors hearing about the significance of the project and debating its cost, design and purpose.

Aboriginal Melbourne director Jason Eades told the meeting the Stolen Generations Working Group wanted to create “a place where children can be children”, reflecting the childhoods denied to those who were removed from their families.

Cr Gladys Liu raised concerns about the cost of the project, saying the money would be better spent helping people currently suffering. Cr Philip Le Liu also raised questions about cost, while expressing concern that elements of the artwork could be “triggering for certain groups”.

Before the vote, Cr Dr Olivia Ball said the council had a responsibility to acknowledge the role of government in past injustices.

We should be accountable for our role as representatives of a government which contributed to these heartless actions of the past, Cr Dr Ball said.

The artwork for the marker has been designed by leading Victorian Aboriginal artist Maree Clarke, a Yorta Yorta, Wamba Wamba, Mutti Mutti and Boon Wurrung woman known for her role in reclaiming south-east Australian Aboriginal art practices.

Early designs for the marker included a smoking pit for community gatherings, Indigenous planting and bronze sculptures of Aboriginal children. The design has since been refined following further recommendations from the Stolen Generations Working Group.

The marker will be located at Peppercorn Lawn in Alexandra Gardens, a site selected for its central city location and the cultural significance of the nearby Birrarung/Yarra River.

While a completion date has not yet been confirmed, the marker is expected to open by mid-2027. •