Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The case for a national redress scheme for those who suffered whilst staying in an institution as a child has been raised again in the media and, I must admit, also by the opposition leader. I do not know why the opposition leader all of a sudden decided to pop his head up on this issue, but I thank him for it, and I also understand that he did recognise the advocacy I have done along with other members of this parliament to achieve a national redress scheme. I hope that it is the urging of the members for Corio, Blaxland and Jagajaga that has helped the opposition leader to decide to join the call for a national redress scheme.

To give you some context, back on 18 August 2009, I said in a speech in this very place:

… I can only begin to imagine the horrific experiences people suffered.

Only a couple of months ago, I met with the members of the Care Leavers Australia Network, otherwise known as CLAN, an organisation that provides support for people who have suffered in care. I sat with the 'clannies' for the tabling of the Community Affairs References Committee report Lost innocents and forgotten Australians revisited. It was an emotional day and I felt privileged to share that moment with them. The report describes the progress that has been made towards objectives in the reports tabled in 2001 and 2004. The term 'lost innocents' is used to describe a generation of child migrants brought to Australia from the UK. Responsibility for their safety was passed from the Commonwealth to the state governments and then on to various other agencies. The term 'forgotten Australians' is used to describe Australians who have experienced institutional and out-of-home care. I am reliably informed that that terminology is no longer relevant and should not be used, so I will try and restrain myself.

As we approach 16 November, I advise that it is the date of the sixth anniversary of the Apology that was made to the thousands of children who spent time in institutions and out-of-home care and the UK migrants, and we still have not established a national redress scheme. In regard to a redress scheme, I have been advocating that for some time and I hope it will be one of the outcomes of the royal commission into child sex abuse. I note the member for Blaxland did a speech in parliament on this issue just the other day.

On 16 November 2009, I stated in a speech in the main chamber these very words:

I welcome this apology and support the motion and encourage all my fellow colleagues to support it and the forgotten Australians. We must not forget reparation. I call on the governments, churches and charities to deal with this now, not later. We can now only be judged as a nation by our ability to repair and rebuild these Australian lives, because we have failed these children in the construction of them. We have failed them in the nurturing and care that they would have expected to get from institutions, the nurturing and care they would have got in a family home. We have failed them by treating them with systematic abuse.

Everyone asks about the reasons for children being in orphanages—whether it was an economic situation or a breakdown of the family unit. There are numerous reasons, and I have even heard of people putting their children into orphanages to prevent them from being a burden on the rest of their family.

In closing, today we have heard stories from forgotten Australians with a range of emotions and experiences. We have heard about having trouble creating relationships, about having trouble trusting particularly authorities but anyone, about the abuse that these individuals suffered and about the lack of nurturing and care and love.

I continue to call for a national redress scheme that the churches, charities and relevant organisations contribute to and for them to be held to account for the terrible pain and abuse that they have visited upon too many children who are our fellow Australians. Thank you.

Question agreed to.

Federation Chamber adjourned at 12:46

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