Janelle Saffin (Page, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

to move:

That this House:

(1)

notes that:

(a)

on 16 November 2009 the Government and the Parliament made an apology to the estimated 500 000 Forgotten Australians, who experienced neglect and cruelty in institutional and out of home care last century that left many physically and psychologically scarred;

(b)

the Australian Government has made available $26.5 million for a national Find and Connect service to help Forgotten Australians locate their personal records and connect with family members;

(c)

the Find and Connect service is currently being implemented and includes web links, a 1800 number, a network of case managers and new counselling support services;

(d)

the Australian Government has amended the Allocated Amendment Principles 2009 (No. 2) of the Aged Care Act 1997 to recognise care leavers as a special needs group, in line with undertakings made in the apology to the Forgotten Australians;

(e)

while some States and Territories have taken actions to compensate the Forgotten Australians, these are uneven and insufficient; and

(f)

there are obligations to be met by churches to contribute to redress schemes;

(2)

acknowledges the Forgotten Australians’ call for an equivalent to the Gold Card to provide entitlements for health care, education and transport to go some way towards compensating for the neglect of their education and health care as children; and

(3)

considers how the Government can work with States and Territories to come up with a plan to implement such a card.

See this speech in context