Secretariat: Families Australia, Suite 3, 7 National Circuit, Barton ACT 2600. Phone 02 6273 4885 Fax 02 6273 4886
Patrons: Andrew Murray and Jack Thompson
MEDIA RELEASE
Monday 26 October 2009
FORGOTTEN AUSTRALIANS WELCOME APOLOGY BUT CALL
FOR FULL RESPONSE TO SENATE INQUIRIES
The national coalition, the
Alliance for Forgotten Australians (AFA), today welcomed the
Australian Government's announcement that the Prime Minister will apologise
to
Forgotten Australians and to Child Migrants on 16 November this year and called for all
the recommendations of the Senate Committee to be met as quickly as possible.
The apology will satisfy the first recommendation of two Senate reports, acknowledging
publicly
the nation's sorrow for the neglect, abuse and ongoing pain experienced by
adult survivors of childhood abuse while in institutional or foster care in the last Century.
Ms Caroline Carroll, Chair of the Alliance, has been appointed to Minister Jenny
Macklin's Advisory Group to assist in developing the apology and the event.
Ms Carroll spoke today of the poor long term outcomes for survivors of childhood abuse
in
out-of-home care, including loss of family, isolation, an inability to trust others,
difficulty in forming and maintaining relationships, trauma and depression, low education
levels, widespread illiteracy and poor physical health.
'As children, many of us
experienced horrors in the places that were supposed to care for us: serious and often
criminal physical, sexual and emotional abuse, neglect and assault. As adult survivors,
we have waited many years for an apology for the harm that was done to us.'
Ms Carroll called the forthcoming apology 'a turning point for Forgotten Australians', but
added: 'This is a good start, but much more needs to be done. Forgotten Australians and
Child Migrants
need priority access to medical and dental care and to adult education
and housing; they need changes to the law that will allow them to pursue claims against
those responsible for the childhood abuse; they need supported access to information
about their lives and their lost families; they need open-ended trauma counselling; they
need special aged care support; they need redress to enable them to make decisions
about their own paths of healing.
'We look forward to a comprehensive Government response
that satisfies
all the
recommendations handed down by the Senate Committee
and brings some justice to
those who have been struggling for it for so long.'
For further information, contact Caroline Carroll on 03 9094 3527 or 0438 460 184 or the
AFA Secretariat on 02 6273 4885 or 0407 343 741.
NEWS 
