Sarah Witty (Melbourne, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to reflect on a visit I recently made to Open Place in Richmond, where I met with Forgotten Australians and listened to their experiences. Forgotten Australians are people who, as children, were placed in institutions, orphanages and out-of-home care. Many were neglected, mistreated and failed by the very systems meant to protect them.

After that visit, one person reached out to me thanking me for taking the time to listen and hear about their childhood in those institutions. They said something that stayed with me. They said they felt warmth, sincerity and compassion in being listened to and that being heard mattered. They also hoped, from hearing their stories, I now understood the challenges Forgotten Australians have carried throughout their lives.

For too many, that that moment of being heard came far too late. Open Place has created a space where those stories are finally acknowledged, but listening is only the beginning. We must remember. We must carry these stories forward, because we cannot forget what happened, and we cannot let it happen again. The task in front of us is to listen, to remember and to make sure the stories of Forgotten Australians shape what we do next.