The Healing Foundation has welcomed the appointment of Senator Malarndirri McCarthy as Minister for Indigenous Australians, saying she will bring a "nuanced understanding" and "lived experience" to her new role.

Senator McCarthy, a Saltwater woman from the Yanyuwa Garrawa people, grew up in Borroloola - a remote Aboriginal community over 1000 km East of Darwin and 50 km upstream from the Gulf of Carpentaria.

Her appointment to the cabinet, replacing the retiring Linda Burney, means for the first time in history, both the minister and shadow minister - held by Jacinta Nampijinpa Price - for Indigenous Australians are held by Aboriginal people from the Northern Territory.

Healing Foundation's Chair Professor Steve Larkin said Senator McCarthy was a "great appointment" to the cabinet, noting her longstanding advocacy for survivors of the Stolen Generations, as well as their descendants and families.

"She deeply understands the Stolen Generations experience, its pervasive impact across the generations, and the importance of acting urgently to support elderly survivors," he said.

"We look forward to working with her and her team on the complex challenges facing Stolen Generations survivors including trauma informed aged care and barriers to accessing historical and family records."

The foundation said previous comments by the Senator showed she was open and understanding about the continued Stolen Generations survivors face.

"Minister McCarthy is very well placed to help tackle the big issues that affect Stolen Generations survivors and their families every day," Professor Larkin said.

Senator McCarthy becomes only the third First Nations person, after Ms Burney and Ken Wyatt, to be appointed Minister for Indigenous Australians.

Former Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Social Justice Commissioner (1993-1998) Professor Mick Dodson AM spoke to us recently about the most urgent actions needed to support ageing Stolen Generations survivors.

#BringingThemHome #unfinishedbusiness pic.twitter.com/tThowwSqaF

— Healing Foundation (@HealingOurWay) June 6, 2024

At a speech last week, she spoke of her observations regarding the instinctual care First Nations communities have for one another.

"What drives these families to take on the responsibility of caring for more children is the deeply rooted desire to never again see another generation removed - and robbed of ever knowing their kin and culture," Senator McCarthy said.

The Senator has been prominent in the last 12 months in the media, first at the back end of the Voice Campaign - where she regularly spoke at events - and then this year in a series of large announcements surrounding funding Indigenous-led health, and housing, initiatives.

The government have announced a swathe of new measures, including the Remote Jobs program - replacing the "failed" Liberal Party Community Development Program; a $4 billion, 10-year joint housing investment with the NT government; and increased funding for Indigenous-led health organisations.

Many of these, like the recent announcement of new renal dialysis machines in remote communities to allow First Nations people to receive treatment on Country, come from lived for the Senator, whose mother had to move from Borroloola for dialysis.

"She always wanted to go home on Country. But she passed away in Darwin, never having that opportunity to return home permanently," Senator McCarthy said last week.

She has also been open to her belief that the continued impact the policies of forced removal of Indigenous children has on First Nations people.

This contrasts with Senator Price, who used an essay in The Australian to argue "no one is disadvantaged just because they are Indigenous".

Senator McCarthy told parliament in 2021 during the passing of the Territories Stolen Generations Redress Scheme that as a country, "we failed in one of the most important and basic duties we have, and that is to not harm children. In fact, the complete opposite was done".

"The removal of children from their families - an almost centuries-long practice by governments across Australia - created a trauma that has transcended generations and will continue to do so for years to come," she said.

"We continue to see the long shadow the trauma has cast on relationships, on health and mental health, on people's economic prospects and on culture, language, and identity. The Stolen Generations have haunted not only the victims but also our national history and conscience."

Noting its continued impact on First Nations people, the Senator said: "I'd like to think the Stolen Generations are a faraway memory - something that did happen a long time ago. Instead, it happened so recently - right up to where we are now. And, if we're not careful, we'll continue to do the same thing by removing First Nations children from their families".

Earlier this year on National Sorry Day, the government announced $3.5 million in funding for community-led healing services through the Healing Foundation.

On Sunday, the foundation's chief executive Shannan Dodson said she was encouraged to be working with another Indigenous woman who understood the vast complexities of intergenerational trauma.

"Minister McCarthy understands the ongoing impact of these damaging policies on our communities across the country, and The Healing Foundation is keen to work with her on how we continue to see justice and recognition for ageing survivors," Ms Dodson said.