Page 5055 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 17 November 2009
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
Back in 2006, I expressed the ACT government’s abhorrence and sadness at the grim lives endured by so many of these boys and girls at the hands of those into whose hands they were placed, under whose power they were confined. At the very least, the experiences of these forgotten Australians and former child migrants would have encompassed a sense of abandonment, grief at the loss of parents, siblings, extended family and friends, and questions about identity and self-worth. At worst, these burdens were compounded by physical or sexual assault, exploitation, brutality, mistreatment and neglect.
In 2006, I acknowledged that this was the reality of childhood, that this was the welcome extended by our society to far too many girls and boys entrusted to society’s care. It was a reality that did not magically evaporate at adulthood but which, in too many cases, has had enduring ill effects.
This week’s national apology to the forgotten Australians and former child migrants is a gesture of healing. It cannot undo the harm done, but it can acknowledge it and express sorrow for it—the sorrow of a society that was mostly unaware, and often content to be unaware.
While the ACT government did not exist before 1989 and therefore had no role in the administration of children’s out-of-home care in the period in question, there are many living in our community who have endured a childhood in care beyond the territory’s borders, or a childhood spent as a child migrant, half a world from home. Today we acknowledge the reality of their experiences and express our remorse for the policies and the institutions that so failed them, and that robbed them of a happy childhood.
In doing so, we also reflect and ask ourselves whether the actions we take today to care for boys and girls who must, for whatever reason, spend time away from the family home serve the boys and girls of 2009 much better than the actions we took as a society in the last century. Intuitively, we believe so. But intuition is not enough. We believe so on the basis of evidence. We believe we can learn, have learnt and continue to learn from the past. It is why, in our most recent budget, we have funded special support services for those Canberrans who find themselves providing primary care for their grandchildren. It is why we have allowed for more flexibility in base payments for foster carers, depending on the age of the child and their particular needs. It is why we have dedicated $11 million over the next four years to developing innovative new out-of-home care services.
By no means do I suggest we have reached some plateau from which we can never hope to improve. Even men and women motivated by goodwill and sincerity can only act as creatures of their time, on the evidence available to them, applying the standards of the day.
Our luxury, as citizens in a democracy, has always been our opportunity to improve upon our best efforts, incrementally, as new information comes to hand. For example, under the Children and Young People Act 2008, we have allowed greater information sharing between agencies, to help child protection workers respond to boys and girls in need.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video