Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the chamber for agreeing to set aside this time so that we can commemorate the first anniversary of the historic National Apology for Forced Adoptions. I am not going to read the whole apology because it would take my whole time, but I do want to remind people of some of the words and the sentiment of the national apology. I also want to talk about some of the things that have happened since the national apology and, hopefully, my colleagues will too. I also point out that the Forced Adoptions Implementation Working Group has been meeting, hence Senator Moore and I have been running in and out of the chamber, and I think some members of the working group will be joining us at some stage.

I am not supposed to be using props but this document is a copy of the apology. It has been hanging very proudly in my office for the last 12 months, and tomorrow is the actual first anniversary of the apology. The apology starts:

1. Today, this Parliament, on behalf of the Australian people, takes responsibility and apologises for the policies and practices that forced the separation of mothers from their babies, which created a lifelong legacy of pain and suffering.

2. We acknowledge the profound effects of these policies and practices on fathers.

3. And we recognise the hurt these actions caused to brothers and sisters, grandparents, partners and extended family members.

It then goes on to acknowledge these appalling practices that caused so much pain and suffering for so long, for decades, in this country. I would like to go to the end of the apology, which says:

18. We resolve, as a nation, to do all in our power to make sure these practices are never repeated. In facing future challenges, we will remember the lessons of family separation. Our focus will be on protecting the fundamental rights of children and on the importance of the child’s right to know and be cared for by his or her parents.

19. With profound sadness and remorse, we offer you all our unreserved apology.

I would like to remind everybody that that is what we did a year ago tomorrow. We also, today, passed a motion in this chamber with the total support of the chamber. One of the valuable things I will always remember from the Senate is that when we are dealing with important matters, we can deal across parties as a whole and can recognise the importance of these moments in our history. The apology was important last year and continues to be a very important moment in our history.

We, again, today acknowledged the ongoing pain and suffering of mothers, children and fathers affected by unethical, dishonest and sometimes illegal practices of the past. We also went on—and this is where I want to look to the future—to commend the work of the National Archives of Australia. Today the website was launched, and they have done a marvellous job to get that completed in 12 months. Congratulations to them, and I urge everybody to look at the website and look at the history project. It really is going to be a very profound resource to our community.

We also congratulate the Institute of Family Studies, who have done an outstanding job in their research and scoping work. The Department of Social Services have been doing a marvellous job supporting the working group and they are really trying to make sure that they implement the commitments of both the previous government and this government with regard to the recommendations of the Community Affairs References Committee report. Many of the commitments that were made have come from those recommendations. Also, of course, the Forced Adoptions Implementation Working Group have been working really hard to progress the recommendations.

I want to touch on and acknowledge that an apology is only a part of the healing process. Nothing magically happens that takes away what is lifelong suffering and pain which has been caused by these practices, but it is an essential part of the journey. That is why it is so important that the implementation working group continues to do its work and that the recommendations get implemented, and I look forward to them all being implemented in the not-too-distant future. It is extremely important that we do not lose these recommendations or this work and that they are implemented, because we need to be putting those supports in place to further help with the healing from the past practices.

It is very important, as is pointed out in the apology:

17. To redress the shameful mistakes of the past, we are committed to ensuring that all those affected get the help they need, including access to specialist counselling services and support, the ability to find the truth in freely available records and assistance in reconnecting with lost family.

We will never let that part of the apology go. It is absolutely critical that we continue to support people who have been affected by past practices.

I want to take a minute or two to reflect, which goes back to the comment I made about the ability of this chamber to step up to the mark when we need to. I checked the date—it was 15 November 2010 when this chamber referred the inquiry to the Community Affairs References Committee. Throughout 2011 from April through to nearly the end of the year, December, we held a large number of hearings. I will never forget those hearings. I will never forget the evidence that we were given. The accounts that we heard were heartbreaking. You would go home after every hearing with your heart heavy after having heard the pain and anguish that these practices caused. It totally convinced you that this country could not deny the pain and suffering that was caused or that these practices happened. And, as was pointed out in the motion that we passed today, there is no doubt in my mind that some of these practices were illegal. People were cheated, conned and persuaded into giving up their children. That has had profound ramifications for, as the apology points out, mothers, fathers, sons and daughters, grandparents, uncles and aunts. It has rippled throughout families.

For too long this country was in denial. That caused additional pain and suffering and a sense of shame. One thing I heard repeatedly from the accounts was of the sense of shame that was imparted, particularly to mothers. That has affected people for their whole lives. We can never let that happen again and we can never forget that this has occurred. That is why I am hoping that every year we can mark this apology so that we do not forget that these events occurred, we acknowledge that they occurred and we remember that the pain and suffering does not go away completely. People will carry that with them all their lives. We can provide support, love and acknowledgement, but you cannot make it go away. However, we can make sure it never happens again. That is why the last part of the motion, which says:

… resolves to continue to do all in its power to make sure these practices are never repeated—

is so essential. It is also a repeat from the apology itself. I will remember and will urge everyone to remember this special day tomorrow.