Major events and legislation in the history of child welfare in Australia
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2023
2023 – Inquiry into past forced adoptive policies and practices, Western Australian government
The Western Australian government’s Standing Committee on Environment and Public Affairs commenced an inquiry into past forced adoptive policies and practices on 22 February 2023. The impetus for this inquiry was a petition with 318 signatures, presented by Jennifer McRae and tabled in the Legislative Council on 15 November 2022. The terms of reference for…
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2022
2022 – Stolen Generations Reparations Package, Victorian government
The Stolen Generations Reparation Package was announced by the Victorian government in 2022. The aim of the package is to “help address the trauma and suffering caused by the forced removal of Aboriginal children from their families, community, culture, identity and language”. The package is for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were removed…
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2021
2021 – Territories Stolen Generations Redress Scheme, Australian government
The Territories Stolen Generations Redress Scheme was announced in 2021. The Scheme “seeks to recognise the harm and trauma experienced by Stolen Generations survivors”. The Territories Stolen Generations Redress Scheme is for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were children when removed from their families and communities, in: Northern Territory before 1 July 1978…
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May
28, 2019
May 28, 2019 – Inquiry into Responses to Historical Forced Adoptions in Victoria
The Inquiry into Responses to Historical Forced Adoptions in Victoria began in 2019 when the Victorian Legislative Assembly agreed to an inquiry into support services and responses to the issues of historical forced adoptions in Victoria by the Legal and Social Issues Committee. The report was tabled in Parliament on 8 September 2021. According to…
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2019
2019 – Payment scheme for former British Child Migrants, UK government
In December 2018, the UK government announced they were establishing a payment scheme for former British Child Migrants. The scheme was for people who had been separated from their families and sent overseas as part of the UK government’s participation in child migration programs. The payment scheme was established in response to the Interim Report…
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22
October 2018
22 October 2018 – – National Apology to Victims and Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse, Parliament of Australia
On 22 October 2018, the Prime Minister, the Hon Scott Morrison MP, apologised to victims and survivors of institutional child sexual abuse on behalf of the Australian Government, and all Australians. The Prime Minister apologised for the appalling endured by survivors of institutional child sexual abuse, and acknowledged the longlasting effects of this abuse. The…
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2018
2018 – National Redress Scheme, Australian government
The National Redress Scheme was established by the Commonwealth government in response to the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. It is administered by the Commonwealth Department of Social Services. The NRS was established in 2018 and was announced that it would run for 10 years. The National Redress…
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2017
2017 – Stolen Generations Reparations Scheme, New South Wales government
The New South Wales Stolen Generations Reparations Scheme was established in 2017. It was created in response to the New South Wales government’s 2016 report, Unfinished Business, which recommended that a reparations scheme be established. The Stolen Generations Reparations Scheme provided ex-gratia payments of $75,000 to “living Stolen Generations survivors who were removed by, committed…
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2016
– 2017
2016 – 2017 – Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory
The Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory was set up on 1 August 2016, to look into the youth detention and welfare system over 10 years from 1 August 2006. Its report was delivered on 17 November 2017. The Royal Commission identified a number of failures within the…
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2015
2015 – Stolen Generations Reparations Scheme, South Australian government
The Stolen Generations Reparations Scheme was established by the South Australian government in 2015. The Scheme was for South Australian members of the Stolen Generations who were forcibly removed from their families and culture. Under the criteria of the Scheme, people who were Aboriginal and removed from their families in South Australia before 31 December…
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21
March 2013
21 March 2013 – – National Apology for Forced Adoptions, Parliament of Australia
On 21 March 2013, the Prime Minister Julia Gillard apologised on behalf of the Australian Government to people affected by forced adoption or removal policies and practices. The national apology was delivered in the Great Hall of Parliament House, Canberra.
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27
November 2012
27 November 2012 – 27 November 2012 – Apology for past forced adoption practices, Parliament of Queensland
On 27 November 2012, the Queenland government apologised for the hurt and harm caused by past forced adoption policies and practice. The Apology was issued by the Premier, Campbell Newman MP, on behalf of the Queensland Legislative Assembly. The apology reflected the recommendation made by the Australian Government Senate Committee Inquiry on the Commonwealth Contribution…
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25
October 2012
25 October 2012 – – Parliamentary Apology for Past Adoption Practices, Parliament of Victoria
On 25 October 2012 at 11.30 am, the Premier of Victoria, Ted Baillieu, Opposition leader Daniel Andrews and Nationals leader Peter Ryan addressed a joint sitting of the Victorian Parliament to apologise officially to all those who were affected by the forced adoption practices in the state between the 1950s and the 1970s. The Apology…
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18
October 2012
18 October 2012 – 18 October 2012 – Apology to People Hurt by Past Forced Adoption Practices, Parliament of Tasmania
The Apology to People Hurt by Past Forced Adoption Practices was moved in the Tasmanian House of Assembly on Thursday, 18 October 2012 by the Labor Premier, Lara Giddings. The 2012 report on the Senate Community Affairs Reference Committee’s Commonwealth Contribution to Former Forced Adoption Policies and Practices prompted the Apology. A number of other…
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29
September 2012
29 September 2012 – – Apology for Forced Adoption Practices, Parliament of New South Wales
On Thursday 20 September 2012 both Houses of the New South Wales Parliament apologised for forced adoption practices. The motion read as follows: “This House acknowledges the traumatic effects of the forced adoption practices of the past that have echoed through the lives of tens of thousands of mothers, fathers, people adopted as children and…
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19
September 2012
19 September 2012 – – Apology to the victims of abuse at St Andrew’s Hostel, Katanning, Government of Western Australia
On 19 September 2012, the report from the Special Inquiry into St Andrew’s Hostel, Katanning was tabled in the Western Australian parliament. Its report documented the failure of public officers to act on reports of abuse at St Andrew’s Hostel in the years 1973 to 1990. Allegations of abuse at St Christopher’s Hostel and Adamson…
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14
August 2012
14 August 2012 – – Apology to People Affected by Past Forced Adoption Practices, Parliament of the Australian Capital Territory
The ACT Chief Minister Katy Gallagher presented a formal apology to people who have been affected by past forced adoption practices in Australia from the late 1940s through to the 1980s on the 14th August 2012 at the ACT Legislative Assembly in Canberra. The apology by the ACT Government acknowledged that Commonwealth policies significantly affected…
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17
April 2012
17 April 2012 – 2013 – Inquiry into the handling of child abuse by religious and other organisations, State of Victoria
On 17 April 2012 the Victorian Government announced the establishment of a Parliamentary inquiry into ‘matters relating to the handling of alleged child abuse by religious and other organisations’ . In response to Recommendation 48 of the Cummins Inquiry, the Family and Community Development Committee is requested ‘to inquire into, consider and report to the…
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2012
– 2017
2012 – 2017 – Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Commonwealth Government
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse was announced on 12 November 2012 by Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Its terms of reference were wide-ranging, examining how institutions had responded to child sexual abuse, both in the past and present. The Royal Commission investigated a wide range of institutions including religious organisations, state…
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December
2011 –
December 2011 – August 2012 – Special Inquiry into St Andrew’s Hostel, Katanning, Western Australia
The Special Inquiry into St Andrew’s Hostel in Katanning was undertaken in 2011-12. The Inquiry was established under Section 24H(2) of the Public Sector Management Act 1994, to examine the conduct and response of public officials and government agencies to allegations of sexual abuse at St Andrew’s and related organisations. The Hon. Peter Blaxell, a…
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2011
– 2012
2011 – 2012 – Inquiry into Commonwealth Contribution to Former Forced Adoption Policies and Practices, Commonwealth of Australia
The Commonwealth Contribution to Former Forced Adoption Policies and Practices was a Senate Committee Inquiry that began in 2011. The Inquiry resulted from the efforts over many years of mothers who were separated from their children by adoption. The Senate Committee invited interested individuals and organisations to make submissions. It reported in February 2012. The…
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19
October 2010
19 October 2010 – – Apology for the Removal of Children from Unmarried Mothers, Parliament of Western Australia
The Parliament of Western Australia formally apologised for the ‘Removal of Children from Unmarried Mothers’ in 2010. It was the first Australian parliament to do so. The Parliament, on behalf of previous governments, apologised to ‘the mothers, their children and the families who were adversely affected by these past adoption practices’. The apology was heard…
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24
February 2010
24 February 2010 – – Apology to Former Child Migrants by the British Government
On 24 February 2010, the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown issued an apology to child migrants, for the United Kingdom’s role in deporting thousands of children to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Some former child migrants were funded by the British Government to go to London and hear the Prime Minister’s statement…
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16
November 2009
16 November 2009 – – Apology to Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants, Parliament of Australia
On 16 November 2009, the Australian Parliament issued an apology to Forgotten Australians and former child migrants. The Apology in November 2009 was an endorsement of Recommendation 1 from the ‘Forgotten Australians’ report of 2004, which read: That the Commonwealth Government issue a formal statement acknowledging, on behalf of the nation, the hurt and distress…
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19
September 2009
19 September 2009 – – Apology to Forgotten Australians and Child Migrants, Parliament of New South Wales
On 19 September 2009 then New South Wales Premier, Nathan Rees, held a special ceremony in the Botanic Gardens to formally apologise to the state’s Forgotten Australians and child migrants. Mr Rees and then Community Services Minister Linda Burney unveiled a memorial as ‘a lasting tribute to the children who suffered in care in NSW’….
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13
February 2008
13 February 2008 – – Apology to Australia’s Indigenous Peoples, Parliament of Australia
On 13 February 2008, then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd opened the Parliament of Australia by apologising to the Indigenous peoples of Australia. The Prime Minister said: We apologise for the laws and policies of successive Parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians. We apologise especially for…
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2008
– 2011
2008 – 2011 – Redress WA, State of Western Australia
The Redress WA scheme was established by the Government of Western Australia to acknowledge and apologise to adults who, as children, were abused and/or neglected while they were in the care of the state. It ran from 2008 to 31 December 2011. The Redress WA scheme ran from 2008 to 31 December 2011. When Redress…
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2008
– 2009
2008 – 2009 – Inquiry into the Implementation of the Recommendations of the Lost Innocents and Forgotten Australians Reports, Parliament of Australia
The Inquiry into the Implementation of the Recommendations of the Lost Innocents and Forgotten Australians Reports, which began in 2008, was conducted by the Senate’s Community Affairs References Committee. Its report Lost Innocents and Forgotten Australians Revisited, was released in June 2009. In September 2008, the Senate referred the following matter to the Community Affairs…
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9
August 2006
9 August 2006 – – Victorian Government Apology to Forgotten Australians
On 9 August 2006, the Premier Steve Bracks delivered an apology to Forgotten Australians on behalf of the Victorian Government. The Victorian Government apologised to Forgotten Australians on 9 August 2006. This is the text of the apology, which was presented by the Premier Steve Bracks: The government of Victoria welcomes the report of the…
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2005
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2005 – – Apology to Former Wards of State Abused in Care, State Government of Tasmania
The State Government Apology to Former Wards of State Abused in Care was made as a motion to the House of Assembly by the Premier, Paul Lennon, on 17 May 2005. The Leaders of the Opposition and Greens as well as a number of other members spoke. The motion was carried by all. Lennon’s words…
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2004
– 2008
2004 – 2008 – Children in State Care Commission of Inquiry, South Australia
The Children in State Care Commission of Inquiry began in November 2004 under the terms of The Commission of Inquiry (Children in State Care) Act 2004. It produced its final report in March 2008. The terms of reference of the Inquiry were to investigate allegations of sexual abuse of children in State care and allegations…
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2003
– 2005
2003 – 2005 – Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care, Parliament of Australia
The Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care was referred to the Senate Community Affairs References Committee on 4 March 2003. This inquiry was directed primarily to those affected children who were not covered by the 2001 report Lost Innocents: Righting the Record, inquiring into child migrants, and the 1997 report, Bringing them Home, inquiring into…
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2003
– 2006
2003 – 2006 – Listen to the children: review of claims of abuse from adults in state care as children, Ombudsman Tasmania
Listen to the children: review of claims of abuse from adults in state care as children was an Ombudsman inquiry. It was established in July 2003 by the Tasmanian government. The inquiry made an initial report in 2004, followed by another in 2006. On 11 July 2003, the ABC Television current affairs program, Stateline, featured…
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2000
– 2001
2000 – 2001 – Inquiry Into Child Migration, Parliament of Australia
On 20 June 2000, on the motion of Senator Andrew Murray, the Senate referred the issue of child migration to the Community Affairs References Committee for inquiry and report. An estimated five to ten thousand child migrants from both Britain and Malta came to Australia between1922 and 1967, most of whom were sent to charitable…
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1999
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1999 – – Apology to those harmed in Queensland institutions during their childhood
In 1999, the Queensland government and church authorities issued an Apology to those who were harmed or suffered abuse in church- and state-run institutions during their childhood. The Apology was in response to the findings of the Forde Commission of Inqury into Abuse of Children in Queensland Institutions. It accepted the findings of the Forde…
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13
August 1998
13 August 1998 – – Apology to Former Child Migrants by the Parliament of Western Australia
On 13 August 1998, the Parliament of Western Australia passed a motion to apologise to former child migrants ‘for the past policies that led to their forced migration and the subsequent maltreatment so many experienced, and express deep regret at the hurt and distress that this caused.’ Many members of Parliament spoke in support of…
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1998
– 1999
1998 – 1999 – Commission of Inquiry into Abuse of Children in Queensland Institutions
In August 1998 in Queensland, the Minister for Families, Youth and Community Care established a Commission of Inquiry to examine whether there had been any abuse, mistreatment or neglect of children in Queensland institutions. This Inquiry is widely known as the Forde Inquiry, in reference to the Chairperson, Leneen Forde. In May 1999, the Committee…
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17
September 1997
17 September 1997 – – Victorian Government Apology to the Stolen Generations
On 17 September 1997, Premier Kennett issued an apology in the Legislative Assembly to the Aboriginal people for the past policies leading to the removal of Aboriginal children from their families and communities. The apology began with the words: That this house apologises to the Aboriginal people on behalf of all Victorians for the past…
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1997
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1997 – – Apology to Aboriginal People, Government of Tasmania
The Apology to Aboriginal People was made by the Premier, Tony Rundle, on 13 August 1997 in response to the Bringing them home report. An Aboriginal elder, Annette Peardon, replied to the apology. Rundle’s motion stated that: (1) That this Parliament, on behalf of all Tasmanians, expresses its deep and sincere regrets at the hurt…
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July
1997 –
July 1997 – 23 July 1998 – Inquiry into the Welfare of Former British Child Migrants, House of Commons Health Committee, Parliament of the United Kingdom
An Inquiry into the Welfare of Former British Child Migrants was undertaken by the Parliament of the United Kingdom’s House of Commons Health Committee in 1997-98. In relation to Australia, the Inquiry was most interested in the fate of children who were sent from Britain in the twentieth century. The inquiry and its report (known…
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18
June 1997
18 June 1997 – – Apology to the Aboriginal people of Australia for the separation of children from their families, Parliament of New South Wales
On 18 June 1997 then New South Wales Premier, Bob Carr issued an unreserved apology to the Aboriginal people of the state of New South Wales for the policies and practices that led to the removal of generations of Aboriginal children from their families. This was the first response by an Australian state government to…
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28
May 1997
28 May 1997 – – Apology to Aboriginal Families by the Parliament of Western Australia
On 28 May 1997, the Parliament of Western Australia passed a motion to apologise to Aboriginal families in Western Australia ‘for the past policies under which Aboriginal children were removed’ from them and expressed ‘deep regret at the hurt and distress that this caused.’ Many members of Parliament spoke in support of this motion.
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1995
– 1997
1995 – 1997 – National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
The National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families was established by the Federal Attorney-General in 1995. It was conducted by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC). In April 1997, the Commission handed down the report, Bringing them Home: Report of the National Inquiry into the…
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1989
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1989 – – Convention on the Rights of the Child
The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is an international convention, setting out the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of children. The General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child on 20 November 1989 (the 30th anniversary of the Declaration of the Rights of…
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1982
– 1985
1982 – 1985 – Inquiry into Children in Institutional and Other Forms of Care, Commonwealth of Australia
In May 1982, an inquiry began by the Senate Standing Committee on Social Welfare. The result of this inquiry was the report, ‘Children in Institutional and Other Forms of Care: a national perspective’ (1985). The Committee noted that little work had been done to date in this area, on a national basis. The Committee’s terms…
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1973
– 1977
1973 – 1977 – Supporting Mother’s Benefit
The Supporting Mother’s Benefit was a Commonwealth allowance introduced in 1973 by the Whitlam government. It extended equal access to income support to all single mothers. In November 1977, it was replaced by the Supporting Parent’s Benefit, with sole fathers becoming eligible for payments. This payment made it possible for many single mothers to keep…
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1966
– 1969
1966 – 1969 – Committee of inquiry into allegations of neglect and maltreatment of young children, State of Victoria
The state government of Victoria established the inter departmental committee of inquiry into allegations of neglect and maltreatment of young children to investigate claims made in articles published in the Medical Journal of Australia in 1966. The committee was set up in December 1966 and first reported in December 1967. A second report was delivered…
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1959
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1959 – – Declaration of the Rights of the Child
The Declaration of the Rights of the Child set out ten principles related to children’s rights. The Declaration was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 20 November 1959. Click here to see the full Find & Connect glossary
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1941
– 1976
1941 – 1976 – Child Endowment Act 1941, Commonwealth of Australia
The Child Endowment Act 1941 was Commonwealth legislation which introduced the payment of weekly sums to mothers with more than one child, foster mothers, and the managers of privately run children’s institutions, for children under the age of 16. When child endowment began in 1941, children in State or Commonwealth institutions were excluded. From July…
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1939
– 1945
1939 – 1945 – World War Two
The significance of World War Two, and the role this event plays in the history of the institutional ‘care’ of Australian children is an emerging area of research. It is evident that World War Two, directly or indirectly, was a factor in thousands of children’s placement in ‘care’ in the mid-twentieth century. The Alliance for…
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1932
– 1969
1932 – 1969 – Deserted Wives and Children Ordinance 1932, Australian Capital Territory
The Deserted Wives and Children Ordinance 1932 (Act no. 16/1932) is an ordinance to amend the Deserted Wives and Children Act 1901 of the State of New South Wales, in its application to the Territory. It was passed on 4 August 1932 and repealed by the Maintenance Act 1968 on 1 January 1969. As this…
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1929
– 1932
1929 – 1932 – The Great Depression
The Great Depression, generally accepted as beginning with the stock market crash in the United States of America in October 1929, was a time of hardship for many people in Australia. By 1932, about 30% of Australian workers were unemployed. The high unemployment and poverty during this period had a great social impact, with many…
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1914
– 1918
1914 – 1918 – World War One
The significance of World War One, and the role this event plays in the history of the institutional ‘care’ of Australian children is an emerging area of research. Clearly, the departure of thousands of Australian men to fight with Britain had a great impact on society, families, and children. Many households had to adjust to…
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1896
– 1995
1896 – 1995 – Adoption of Children Act 1896, Western Australia
The Adoption of Children Act 1896 (1896/006) made it possible to legally adopt a child under the age of 15 years in Western Australia. The Act was amended throughout the twentieth century and was eventually repealed by the Adoption Act 1994. The Adoption of Children Act 1896 came into operation on 23 September 1896. It…
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1895
– 1959
1895 – 1959 – The State Children Act 1895, Northern Territory
The State Children Act 1895 (Act no. 641/1895) was passed on 20 December 1895. Its full title was ‘An Act to amend the Law relating to State Children, and for other purposes’. It was repealed by the Child Welfare Ordinance 1958 (Act No.20/1958) on 2 February 1959. During the period 1863 to 1911 when the…
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1865
– 1911
1865 – 1911 – Industrial and Reformatory Schools Act 1865, Queensland
The Industrial and Reformatory Schools Act 1865 – with the full title “An Act to provide for the establishment of Industrial and Reformatory Schools” (Act no. 8/1865, 29 Vic No.8) set up special schools to educate and care for neglected children and young offenders under the age of 15 years. The Act allowed Indigenous children…
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1864
– 1888
1864 – 1888 – The Neglected and Criminal Children’s Act 1864, Victoria
The Neglected and Criminal Children’s Act 1864 (No.216) was the first piece of Victorian legislation to define situations where children might be removed from their parents. The Act provided for the establishment of industrial schools for ‘neglected’ children and reformatory schools for convicted juveniles. Superintendents and matrons were to be appointed and provision was made…
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1863
– 1867
1863 – 1867 – Industrial Schools Act 1863, Tasmania
The Industrial Schools Act 1863 (Act no. 27 Vict. No.24) established the Hobart Town Female Refuge (also known as the Hobart Girls’ Industrial School) before being repealed and replaced in 1867 by a new Industrial Schools Act (Act no.31 Vict. No.37). This act enabled female children between 12 and 16 years to be detained in…
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1844
– 1911
1844 – 1911 – Aboriginal Orphans Act 1844, South Australia
The Aboriginal Orphans Act (No 12 of 7 and 8 Vic, 1844) was passed and commenced on 28 August 1844. Its full title was: An Ordinance to Provide for the Protection, Maintenance, and Up-Bringing of Orphans and other Destitute Children of the Aborigines. It was repealed by the Aborigines Act 1911 on 7 December 1911….
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1842
– 1964
1842 – 1964 – Guardians to Child Immigrants Act, Western Australia
The Guardians to Child Immigrants Act 1842 (6 Vict. No.8) was to regulate the treatment of young people under the age of 21 (‘juvenile immigrants’) coming as unaccompanied migrants to be apprenticed in the Colony. A guardian would be appointed for all such people, and that guardian was expected to exercise control over ‘the moral,…
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1826
– 1881
1826 – 1881 – Orphan School Estates Act 1826, New South Wales
The Orphan School Estates Act 1826, also known as An Act for Vesting the Orphan School Estates in the Trustees of the Clergy and School Lands in the Colony of New South Wales and for duly governing the Children at School and in Apprenticeship (7 George 4, Act No 4, 1826), established rules for the…