Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

LBANESE (—) (): I move:

That the House commemorate the anniversary of the national apology to the survivors and victims of institutional child sexual abuse.

Just over four years ago we gathered here for the national apology to victims and survivors of institutional child sexual abuse. We heard powerful words from the Prime Minister and from my predecessor, the member for Maribyrnong. Those words needed to be said. They had to be said in this place. And they so badly needed to be heard. It was profoundly moving for all of us here and all who listened across the country—especially the survivors, their loved ones and the families of victims, and they heard the message that they should have heard so long ago: 'We hear you. We believe you.'

It was a day of tears. It was a day of relief, of love, of courage and grace. For some, it softened, even ended, the confusion and shame that had hung over their lives for too long. And, for many, it was a day when the future began to seem just a little bit more possible.

But it was also a day of ghosts and the most difficult of memories. It is easy to reach for metaphors of shadows and darkness, but much that was done—the betrayals, the destruction of trust, the abuse—was carried out brazenly. It was carried out openly. A culture that gives credence to the abusers over the abused is a culture that thrives on silence, and silence is as much at home in the light as it is in the dark.

Words break the silence, and what allowed so many words to be finally spoken was the royal commission begun by Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Never forget the courage that she showed. Never forget the criticism which she endured as a result of showing that courage at that time. However great the voices of opposition were, her compassion and determination were so much greater.

The royal commission brought a dam-burst of truth—people telling their own stories, and speaking up for those who couldn't. Out of these harrowing stories came the apology.

An apology must never be the end of the story but rather the start of a new and better chapter. I say again to victims and survivors: you have carried such a burden; you cannot be left with the weight of an empty gesture. As much as words can create turning points in our nation, they have to be a catalyst for action.

Earlier this month, the Victorian government announced a redress scheme for children abused in institutional care. On a national level, more than 600 non-government organisations have signed up to the redress scheme established following the royal commission. To date, it has received over 20,000 applications and delivered nearly 11,000 outcomes. The National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse's draft five-year strategy is open for public consultation until 13 January next year, giving everyone a say on the priority work of the national centre, to shape the vision for long-term, generational change. All Australians' state and territory governments are also committed to delivering the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse, launched one year ago. The national strategy is the first of its kind in Australia and it will drive our response as a country to better prevent and respond to child sexual abuse in all settings.

Victims and survivors of child sexual abuse are essential partners in our delivery of the national strategy, and I sincerely thank those who are already helping us bring about meaningful change. But there is so much more to be done not just in our institutions but in our families, our communities and, increasingly, online. We have to keep going because the true test for all of us as a parliament and, indeed, as a nation is whether we can one day look back on the apology as a turning point and not just a full stop. That means backing our words with meaningful and continuing action.

Yes, we'll keep coming back here and repeating the words, as we should, letting them sound through the years like a heartbeat: we hear you; we believe you. And, as we strive to keep making good on the apology with the realities of our deeds, let us go on saying it for the victims and survivors who are still with us, for those who aren't, for those who succumbed to the weight they so desperately tried to shoulder alone. For those who can still hear the words and for those that never did, we will keep on saying them: we hear you; we believe you. And the greatest power of those words will come from what we do in response.

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