Andrew Murray (WA, Australian Democrats) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Evans: I want to follow up on the government’s apology to Indigenous Australians taken into care—known as the stolen generation—which was an apology I strongly supported. Is the minister aware that there were over 500,000 children taken or put into care last century? Is the minister aware they constituted between 7,000 and 10,000 child migrants from Britain, Ireland and Malta, 30,000 to 50,000 Indigenous Australian children and over 450,000 non-Indigenous Australian children? Does the government agree that the rape or abuse of an Indigenous child or of a non-Indigenous or foreign child in an institution or in care is horrific? Does the government agree that taking an Indigenous child, or a non-Indigenous child or foreign child, from their family and home was appalling if it ended up putting them in situations of neglect or abuse? Does the government plan to also deliver an apology to former child migrants and non-Indigenous Australians raised in institutional care last century?

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Murray for his question. Before I respond in detail, I note the recent apology by the Canadian government to their First Nation peoples regarding the treatment of their Indigenous people in their boarding school system. I think it was a very welcome development. Having met some of the First Nation peoples of Canada, I know how important that was to them. Hopefully, the Australian example was useful in that decision.

We are all aware that the abuse and neglect endured by the forgotten Australians is a tragedy. One of the best things that this Senate does is to hold committee inquiries into difficult issues. The cross-party work by the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs in their two reports on the experiences of children abused in institutional care was groundbreaking and helped place this issue in the national consciousness but it was also a tremendous experience for so many who had suffered that they were now being taken seriously. Senator Murray played a leading role in that and has been an advocate for the forgotten Australians. Despite his pending retirement, I can assure the Senate that this government will not allow them to be forgotten again and I know there are many members of parliament who are prepared to continue the argument on their behalf.

Senator Murray, I also note you have discussed these issues with Ms Macklin, the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. She is very committed to the healing process. It requires public awareness and education, ongoing support to affected families and a real engagement from the community services and health sectors. This government does understand that more needs to be done. As with the issues faced by the stolen generation, which you referred to, the experience of the forgotten Australians deserves to be recognised. Each group confronts its own history in its own way and both are worthy of consideration in their own right and in their own way. As you are aware, the government recently provided the alliance for the forgotten Australians with an additional grant of $100,000 to help them continue their work advocating, coordinating and providing a national voice for forgotten Australians. This is in addition to recent funding for the wider funding publication and distribution of an information booklet to raise awareness of the plight of forgotten Australians. The booklet is designed to improve community awareness, assist service providers in understanding the history of the forgotten Australians and to help address their unique needs.

The government continues to work with the alliance for forgotten Australians and other groups such as CLAN, and with families, community services and health sectors to ensure appropriate services are provided for forgotten Australians. The government is in the process of examining its response and the responses of the states and territories to determine what further action may be appropriate. The simple answer to your question, Senator Murray is: no decision has yet been made by government but we are very much engaged with the groups, engaged with the issues, talking through what an appropriate response would be. I know you and others may be a little impatient for the answer, but the answer is: no decision has been taken. But the minister and the government are very aware of issues, very engaged with the issues, and would not for a moment seek to underplay how important this issue is for these people and how important it is for Australia to resolve these issues and show real recognition of the terrible experience that so many people have endured.

Andrew Murray (WA, Australian Democrats) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Minister, I thank you for your answer. You would be aware that I am impatient because my time for advocacy in the Senate is running out, so I must use the time I have left. Do the Prime Minister and the government accept that the effects of harming a child are similar for all children? Does the Prime Minister understand why those who have been in care are upset that one group should get the apology they absolutely deserve but not the other group, who also think they absolutely deserve an apology? Can the government explain why tens of thousands of adults, who endured ruinous care experiences as children, get an apology but not hundreds of thousands of other adults? Will you please come to a decision soon so that I can see this issue put to bed in the name of all those hundreds of thousands of children?

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the senator for his supplementary question. I apologise for the fact that the government decision-making process is not driven by the senator’s timetable and time left in the Senate, although it is an important consideration. But these are important matters, and we have indicated our real commitment to try and resolve and work through them. I do not think that saying all groups should be treated the same and, if you give one apology, you ought to apologise to everybody who might have had similarly bad experiences is the way forward. It is important to engage with the issues of the particular group and see what the solutions are, what support services there are and what is the best way of trying to provide some support, comfort and some resolution to the issues. That is what we are doing in a very serious way. I think it is important that it be done properly and seriously and, once the government has reached a conclusion on that, we will certainly be making that decision known. I am sure, Senator Murray, your advocacy will not end with your term in the Senate.