Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Disability and Carers (House)) Share this | Hansard source

On indulgence: I thank the minister very much. Maybe he should wait until he sees Leonie and let her cut his tie. I'm sure she'll take great pleasure in doing so. I do want to associate the opposition with the words of the minister and thank him for his commitment and his hard work, frankly, to get to today. As he said, it is an extraordinary achievement, first and foremost, for the survivors of child sexual abuse, for the care leavers from institutions. Of course, as all of us know, no amount of money will enable these people who were abused as children to get their childhoods back, but this will be a way in which all of us, all Australians, can acknowledge and pay some compensation for the horrific abuse that people have suffered. Today is a very significant day. It will be a very, very difficult task for this redress to be delivered. A lot of people will have to remember again the abuse that they suffered. But it is something that people have worked very hard for, and I thank the government for their efforts.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

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