Commissioner 1990-1997
The Hawke Government appointed Wilson as the President of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission in 1990. Wilson and Mick Dodson, the Aboriginal Social Justice Commissioner, jointly lead the National Inquiry into the forced removal of Aboriginal children from their families and communities.
Wilson and Dodson visited every state in Australia over the 17-month duration of the Inquiry and heard testimony from 535 aboriginals with 600 more making submissions. Wilson wrote after the completion of the report: "In chairing the National Inquiry (...) I had to relate to hundreds of stories of personal devastation, pain and loss. It was a life-changing experience."
The Inquiry produced a report called Bringing Them Home: Report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their Families which was tabled in Federal Parliament. It found that Australia was in breach of international law, called for a national compensation fund and recommended a national "sorry day."
The report was welcomed by Aboriginal Australians but widely criticised by conservatives. Anthropologist Ron Brunton said the claims of genocide were an "embellishment." Prime Minister John Howard refused to issue an apology instead stating his regret. The Parliaments of NSW, Victoria and South Australia have passed motions apologising for the treatment as has the Northern Territory parliament. The first National Sorry Day was held in 1998 and attracted widespread participation while in 2000, 400,000 people {who counted this crowd?} walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge in support of reconciliation.
Carmen Lawrence appointed Wilson as one of the three eminent jurists conducting the WA Inc Royal Commission. The Royal Commission was chaired by Geoffrey Kennedy and the third member was Peter Brinsden. In its 1992 report, the Royal Commission said "The commission has found conduct and practices on the part of certain persons involved in government in the period 1983 to 1989 such as to place our government system at risk." It was particularly critical of the behaviour of former Premier Brian Burke who was subsequently convicted for two years on charges of fraudulent behavior in 1994.
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