Page 5057 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 17 November 2009
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their conclusions and, while we cannot undo the harm of the past, we can ensure that similar policies do not gain currency again. It is for the people and the parliaments of this generation to accept that the actions of the previous ones led us on paths we should not have chosen and, where appropriate, to apologise on behalf of the people they represent to those who suffered harm. This is such a case.
According to reports from the British government, an estimated 150,000 British children were removed from their homes in a series of programs that lasted from the late 19th century until the late 60s in the 20th century. A 2001 Australian report estimated that up to 30,000 of these children were sent alone to Australia over the entire period. These include over 10,000 children who were relocated to Australia after World War II. There were many more made wards of the state. In all, the number of lives affected are as high as half a million Australians.
Sadly, many of those children were not given the care they deserved or required. Some of the children were told, wrongly, that they were orphans. Even more heartbreaking, many are now known to have suffered abuse, neglect and denial. For too long, we as a nation have been in denial about the suffering they have endured. They are referred to as the forgotten Australians because of this denial.
The actions by Kevin Rudd and Malcom Turnbull in the federal parliament and the comments made by members from all sides of politics in this chamber today might go some way to ensuring those stories will be heard and remembered and that the hurt will be respected and recognised. They will be forgotten no longer.
I want to point out that, no matter where they came from or the circumstances in which they came, they are all Australians now—part of our living, growing culture. Those amongst us who have survived the disruption and hardship, the loss and the grief, must be remembered with honour and with honesty.
We have heard the individual stories of those who went through this process, both harrowing and haunting. It is for all of us now to ensure that these stories are told and remembered. Today, in this chamber, I am proud to be part of a generation of parliamentarians and Australians who recognise those who went through this process, and I humbly offer my acknowledgement and express sorrow for the pain many have endured and many still endure.
I join the voices offering our apology to the people of Australia, our countrymen and women who were poorly served by our predecessors. On behalf of the Canberra Liberals, I say sorry: sorry for the hurt, sorry for the neglect of the system then and the system that has for too long failed to recognise the truth of their stories until now. On behalf of the people and parliament of the ACT, I say sorry, and I commend this motion to the Assembly.
MS HUNTER (Ginninderra—Parliamentary Convenor, ACT Greens) (10.14): I rise today to join with others in the Assembly in supporting the national apology that recognises the hurt suffered by former child migrants and other Australians who grew up in institutionalised care. The Greens will, of course, also be supporting this motion.
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