Apology 15 year anniversary

The 16 November marks 15 years since Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made the National Apology to Forgotten Australians & Former Child Migrants. You can see more about the apology and read the transcript here: https://www.findandconnect.gov.au/entity/apology-to-forgotten-australians-and-former-child-migrants/

More than half a million children were removed from their homes between 1920 and 1989, and around 7000 arrived in Australia through child migration schemes. These children were placed into care, where many suffered abuse and neglect. The wellbeing of many of these children was under threat by the system that was responsible for them. The child welfare system “was poorly resourced, the staff lacked appropriate training and government supervision was totally inadequate. The system was fundamentally unsafe”

This apology was the result of tireless advocacy by people who had been in care as children. Their work saw a group that had long been forgotten finally acknowledged by the highest office in Australia. With this acknowledgment came not just an apology, but tangible actions to address the wrongs many experienced in their childhood.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse was one result of their work.

The establishment of the Find and Connect program was another. Advocates fought for assistance to navigate complex records-access processes, for support with the trauma of their childhood, and for a place they could meet with others with shared experiences. Independence from past providers was integral to ensuring there could be trust and understanding by the services providing support, and every state and territory now has a Find & Connect Support Service to address these needs. An effort to right the wrongs of this history both being hidden, and being written by the organisations which were abusive or complicit in abuse resulted in findandconnect.gov.au. Our site continues to be work with people who were in care to ensure their voice is represented in their history, provides context to the history of child welfare in Australia, and provides records access information for hundreds of institutions.

The Find & Connect Support Services will hold events in each state and territory to recognise the anniversary of the apology. Minister of Social Services, Amanda Rishworth is expected to provide a Statement of Significance in the House of Representatives on the morning of 20th November, around 9am, which will “acknowledge the importance of the original apology and the experiences of Forgotten Australians, Care Leavers and Former Child Migrants.” You can watch Parliament live on the official Parliament streaming service on YouTube.

If you were in out-of-home care and experience trauma or distress at this time, please contact the Find & Connect support service where you live now: https://www.findandconnect.gov.au/contact/