Forgotten Australians Welcome Apology; Call For Full Response To Recommendations

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27th October 2009, 06:59pm - Views: 747






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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.






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