Anniversary events in Canberra and across the country
Some AFA members, along with CLAN members and the Child Migrants Trust, attended an event organised in Canberra to commemorate the National Apology to Forgotten Australians and Child Migrants.
The Apology was delivered on 16 November 2009 by the Hon. Kevin Rudd MP, with support from the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP, on behalf of the Government and Opposition. That was a momentous day for Forgotten Australians, and it was good to have it recognised again on 16 November 2010. Events were also held in all States.
The Hon. Jenny Macklin MP, Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, hosted the Canberra event at Parliament House, and several longstanding supporters in Government attended as well - Senators Claire Moore and Gary Humphries among them. Leonie Sheedy (CLAN), Harold Haig (International Child Migrants Association) and Caroline Carroll (AFA) spoke on behalf of survivors. Caroline's speech can be found on our website, along with the speech from former Senator Andrew Murray, one of AFA's patrons and a great supporter of all Forgotten Australians and Child Migrants: http://forgottenaustralians.org.au/library.html
AFA representatives will attend the NSW Forget Me Not Day for adult survivors of child abuse hosted by ASCA in Sydney on Friday, 12th November and the launch of the WA Memorial for Forgotten Australians on 10th December.
AFA has commenced discussions with a film maker in preparation for making an educational DVD. The DVD will be based on the topics of the AFA booklet. The 2nd Edition of booklet Forgotten Australians: Supporting Survivors of Childhood Institutional Care in Australia is now available free of charge. If you would like a copy please contact the AFA Secretariat on (02) 6273 4885 or email Stella.conroy@familiesaustralia.org.au.
All speakers recognised that progress has been made, but there is much further to go. An Apology is a good and necessary beginning, but the situations of most Forgotten Australians haven't changed, and their needs must be addressed urgently.
Farewell SNAICC and CLAN representatives on AFA
At the meeting in Brisbane in July, we said a sad farewell to Natalie Hunter, SNAICC and NT representative on the AFA Advisory Group. AFA Chair, Caroline Carroll, thanked Natalie for her contributions to the Alliance. Natalie has brought great wisdom to discussions, provided enormous support to individuals and to the group as a whole and offered her expertise with great generosity in thinking through advocacy and policy for Forgotten Australians. Natalie also helped AFA's understanding of the mutual ground between Stolen Generations and Forgotten Australians grow.
Roderick Wright was appointed by SNAICC as their new delegate, and he was welcomed warmly. Roderick most recently worked at CQAICCA, an organisation in Queensland that advised and assisted the State Government with meeting its obligations under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principles. Unfortunately, however, that organisation has now been defunded. We await advice from SNAICC on its ongoing representation.
We also now farewell Frank Golding, the CLAN representative on AFA, who resigned following the November 2010 meeting. Frank contributed extensively to AFA's work. We thank Frank sincerely and wish him well with his next book, and we look forward to continuing involvement by CLAN with AFA.
AFA booklet
Forgotten Australians: Supporting survivors of childhood institutional care in Australia has been updated and reprinted. Over 90,000 copies of the first edition were distributed. It has gone to counsellors, doctors, Centrelink and Medicare offices as well as to many welfare and support services where Forgotten Australians might go.
The second edition is now available on the web or in hard copy. Please visit the AFA website at: www.forgottenaustralians.org.au and click on the booklet cover to download a copy.
If you have any ideas about where it should be distributed, or if you'd like a few copies to use or give out, call us at 02 6273 4885.
AFA in 2010
Throughout 2010, AFA delegates have participated in reference groups and consultations for the major projects announced during the Apology on 16th November 2009 by then Prime Minister, The Hon. Kevin Rudd MP. The national projects, along with some offshoots such as a schools curriculum module produced by the National Museum, have kept us on our toes.
These consultations have brought together representatives of CLAN, the Child Migrant Trust and AFA, to talk with government officials, exhibition curators, historians and consultants about these projects and how they can benefit Forgotten Australians. AFA's own projects have progressed as well. We updated the booklet, as mentioned earlier, and we are now working with a filmmaker on bringing the booklet to life as an educational DVD. We are working with some Social Workers on including a module on Forgotten Australians in social work training.
We have attended meetings, conferences and consultations, where members are able to inform others about the Forgotten Australians' experiences and to apply the learnings from their own experiences to current policy. Papers were delivered by our members at the Association of Children's Welfare Agencies (ACWA) Conference in August 2010 (Caroline Carroll and Pamella Vernon) and the Australian College for Child & Family Protection Practitioners (ACCFPP) Conference in October 2010 (Caroline Carroll and Wilma Robb).
AFA members delivered talks about Forgotten Australians, AFA and their personal experiences to a number of forums, including Rotary meetings, National Museum employees and guides, workers in the Personal Helpers and Mentors (PHaMS) program, Departmental employees in several States, the Myer Foundation and groups of students and health workers.
AFA members met on 22-23 July 2010 in Brisbane and again in Canberra on 15 and 17 November (around the anniversary event for the National Apology). AFA meetings focus on sharing knowledge, promoting the interests of Forgotten Australians through advocacy and educating the community through awareness-raising projects.
AFA representatives attended the unveiling of the Forgotten Australians Memorials in Adelaide (June 2010), Melbourne (October 2010) and Perth (December 2010). Pictures are on our website at http://www.forgottenaustralians.org.au/monuments.html Caroline Carroll (in particular) and others were interviewed many times for radio and also appeared on television and in newspapers.
There is still much to do for Forgotten Australians, and AFA will continue to lobby for better services, redress and support across all States and Territories. See AFA's website at: www.forgottenaustralians.org.au
Senate Inquiry into Government Compensation
AFA prepared a submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee of Inquiry into government compensation payments for people who have been adversely affected by government policies, legislation or unlawful actions. The AFA submission covered a range of issues, including legal barriers to seeking redress and compensation and discretionary payment schemes as well as differences among States that have implemented redress schemes.
The final report from the Senate is available at:
http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/Committee/legcon ctte/govt comp/report/index.htm AFA's submission is number 133 on this page: http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/Committee/legcon ctte/govt comp/submissions.htm
Inquiry into Aged Care
The Productivity Commission's Inquiry into Aged Care has made a preliminary report. It acknowledges the AFA Submission but does not discuss Forgotten Australians' needs in any detail. AFA's submission is Number 486 on this page: http://www.pc.gov.au/proiects/inguirv/aged-care/submissions
National projects
The curators of the National Museum of Australia exhibition, Inside, about life in Australia's Children's Homes, are still seeking to contact Forgotten Australians interested in providing stories and mementos (as gifts or as loans) of their time in institutions. Phone or write to Adele Chynoweth to find how to get involved (National Museum of Australia, GPO Box 1901, ACT 2601 Australia; or 02 6208 5088). Others working on this exhibition are Jay Arthur and Julie Gough. You can register and view the current stories and images on the website: http://nma.gov.au/blogs/inside/. The exhibition will open in November 2011, close to the second anniversary of the National Apology, and will be at the Museum for some time before going on tour. The Museum is also putting together a module for schools about Forgotten Australians and Child Migrants. As mentioned earlier, AFA members gave a talk to Museum staff, including security staff and guides, about Forgotten Australians' experiences and how to care for them as they visit the exhibition. While it's important to educate people about this part of Australia's history, the exhibition may bring back painful memories for many survivors.
The National Library of Australia Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants oral history project is progressing well. The Library is recording interviews with adults who, as children, were in care. These interviews will be preserved in the National Library and, with the permission of those interviewed, will be made available to the public and placed online. In the past year, the National Library has trained interviewers in every State, and 39 interviews have been completed with Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants, as well as with some people who worked in institutions. You can hear some of these interviews through the internet at: http://www.nla.qov.au/diqicoll/ListentotheForqottenAustralians.html The project has been calling for people to express an interest in being interviewed. They have heard from a large number of people who would like to tell their stories, but if you would like to express an interest in being interviewed, please contact the project via FREECALL from a landline 1800 204 290 or EMAIL Fafcm@nla.qov.au
Further information on the project is available at www.nla.gov.au/oh/fafcm
The scoping study for the planned Find & Connect service is now complete, and the Government is proceeding to the next stage. There will be a tender process for interested providers. More information, and a link to the report, is on the FaHCSIA website at
http://www.fahcsia.gov.au/sa/families/proqserv/apoloqy forgotten aus/Paqes/find and connect service.aspx
The Aged Care Education Project is being conducted by the Department of Health & Ageing. The first stage is complete, and a report on last year's consultations with Forgotten Australians and Aged Care Service Providers is available at: www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/ageing-rescare-forgotten-aust.html. The Department also has a newsletter; follow this link and check page 8:
http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/27B1DB96AAC94A56CA 25782A00819EF5/$File/ACE-Edition-1-Januarv-2011.pdf.
The Department is now planning for the next stage of the development of the Forgotten Australian Education Package, and the reference group, which includes AFA, will be involved. While this is positive, AFA maintains that there need to be better models of care for Forgotten Australians that do not involve institutionalisation. The trend to in-home care seems to fit better with Forgotten Australians' needs. They need targeted services and support, preferably in their own homes or in supported, self-contained accommodation. AFA will continue to have input on all these projects. We are hoping to meet with the new Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, the Hon. Mark Butler MP, early this year.
Anniversary March
On 16 November 2010, before the Apology Commemoration ceremony in the ACT, around 70 Forgotten Australians and supporters marched from the city across Commonwealth Bridge to Parliament House, carrying banners calling for better services and support for Forgotten Australians.
More memorials unveiled
2010 saw South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia unveil their memorials to Forgotten Australians. All ceremonies were very moving, and each memorial is unique, interesting and meaningful. Photos can be found on our website, at http://www.forgottenaustralians.org.au/monuments.html, along with the speech delivered by AFA and FACT member, Laurie Humphreys in WA and the speech by former Senator Andrew Murray: http://www.forgottenaustralians.org.au/librarv.html
As Tasmania, Queensland and NSW already had memorials in place, that completes the State obligations under Recommendation 34 of the original Senate Inquiry. As yet, however, there is no national memorial, nor any recognition, in the ACT or the NT.
Some States (NSW, WA and Queensland, to the best of our knowledge) also have specific memorials for the Former Child Migrants.
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