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Select Committee of the Legislative Council on the Destitute Poor, South Australia

The Select Committee of the Legislative Council on the Destitute Poor was appointed by the Government in 1867 to enquire into the management of the Destitute Asylum and the Brighton Industrial School at the old Grace Darling Hotel. The Committee produced a report in October 1867 which was highly critical of the inadequate temporary accommodations…

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…

Inquiry into Delinquent and other children in the care of the State, State of South Australia

The Inquiry into Delinquent and other children in the care of the State began in June 1938. It was established primarily to examine the way in which the government was dealing with children who had committed offences or had ‘behavioural problems’. In this era these children were referred to as ‘delinquent’ children. The final report…

Way Commission, Province of South Australia

The Way Commission was an inquiry into the affairs of the Destitute Board which ran from 1883 to 1885. Officially known as the Royal Commission to Report on the Destitute Act 1881, it was commonly referred to as the Way Commission after Chief Justice Samuel Way who led the Inquiry. The Inquiry was sparked by…

Select Committee of the Legislative Council upon the Aborigines, Colony of South Australia

In September 1860 the Legislative Council of South Australia agreed to examine the social conditions of the Aboriginal people of South Australia in order to ascertain the impact of European settlement. A Select Committee conducted a ten day hearing and a report was tabled on 16 October 1860. In September 1860 the Legislative Council of…

Royal Commission on the Aborigines, State of South Australia

The Royal Commission on the Aborigines was appointed on 19 December 1912 to inquire into and provide a report on ‘the control, organisation and management of the institutions in this [South Australia] set aside for the benefit of the aborigines’. It was also asked to report ‘generally upon the whole question of the South Australian…

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…

Apology to children who were wards of the state placed in adult mental health facilities, Parliament of Queensland

In February 2010, the Queensland government issued an Apology to those who, as children in the care of the State of Queensland, experienced or witnessed maltreatment or neglect, or were inappropriately placed in Queensland adult mental health facilities. The number of teenagers placed in adult psychiatric institutions in Queensland is estimated to be between 50…

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…

Child Protection Commission of Inquiry, Queensland

The Queensland Child Protection Commission of Inquiry was established to review Queensland’s child protection system. The inquiry was headed by the Honourable Tim Carmody QC. The inquiry opened in 2012 and the final report was presented in 2013.