Canberra - The Australian Prime Minister, Mr John Howard, yesterday dismissed calls to set up a special compensation tribunal for Aborigines taken from their families by the Australian authorities.
Aboriginal groups and opposition politicians are seeking to bypass the normal court system after two Aborigines lost a test case seeking compensation and punitive damages for psychological trauma, emotional distress and cultural isolation.
Mr Howard acknowledged the trauma suffered by many of the part-Aboriginal children removed under a government sanctioned assimilation policy between the 1920s and 1960s but said the court process was the appropriate mechanism for such cases.