The Stolen Generation had a great effect on Aboriginal rights and freedoms, as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were not even allowed to raise and care for their children and, as a result, 100,000 Aboriginal Australians were displaced and placed with white families. The lack of understanding and respect for Aboriginal culture also meant that many people in favor of removing these children actually thought they were doing “the right thing”. The impact on Australian life today is still felt, as the Stolen Generation is considered a recent event having only ended in the early 1970s. The children who were taken from era can no longer trace their roots and therefore have no trace of their family history or origin, which still poses problems today. The Stolen Generation is considered a serious chapter in the history of our country and that of Indigenous peoples. History. Stolen Generation was only revealed in the 1960s and early 1970s, to public shock and anger. The rights of indigenous people during this time were increasingly weak, as many were forced to live on reservations or missions and their children were taken away at infancy. The Stolen Generation's rights were somewhat better than those of the previous generation, as they had the right to have a good job, health care, and to have and raise children, while their parents did not. had none of these rights. The assimilation program was a means of transforming these Native children and it was essential to “make them white”; this can be considered a violation of human rights and international law. Aborigines had virtually no rights when it came to starting a family and the Stolen Generation was used to show Australia the atrocities that have been happening in this country for two hundred years...... middle paper...... poor management of the economy. Under Whitlam there was widespread unemployment and inflation and several scandals within his ministry which ultimately led to his downfall. Gough Whitlam, however, introduced major policies that shaped Australia's development to what it is today. Gough Whitlam achieved important social, economic and cultural reforms that continue in Australia today, such as free university and free healthcare. Gough Whitlam had a huge impact on Australian life; he made it easier for Australia to go to university and obtain health care and, thanks to his actions in the 1970s, more and more Asian immigrants continue to come to Australia. Because of the contributions that Gough Whitlam made to this country; Australia is now very multicultural, Aboriginal people have greater rights, women have equal pay and universities and healthcare are now free in Australia..