The Forgotten Australians, an example of an apologetic history

Apologies by the government are meant to open door for community groups who have been marginalised in the past by an event that took place. As the world becomes linked globally, apologies are becoming common and are a form of reconciliation. In 2009 the Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd along with opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull publically apologised to a group of people who are known as the Forgotten Australians who grew up within institutions. A senate inquiry in 2004 began and uncovered the culture of silence of a people whose experiences were ignored. These people are known as the Forgotten Australians otherwise known as ‘Care Leavers’. The ages of the Forgotten Australians range from people in their nineties to those who are in their thirties. There is not one small group of people that have been affected. The words “Forgotten Australians’ were first used within the 2004 senate inquiry report and are similar to the words used for the Stolen Generation. The government had uncovered the dealings with the group while they were researching the Stolen Generation who were Aboriginal people who had been taken from their homes.

Before the apology in 2009 by the federal government there were several reports produced including one in 2004 about what was occurring within the institutions to child migrants and Australian children who were left there too. After people had been placed into institutions such as places for children there had been a history of abuse, neglect and trauma that would stay with them throughout their lives. The government are aware of problems arising with the people who were taken into care and that they may suffer from problems including many medical and issues about those who have authority. A booklet was created by the Alliance of Forgotten Australians to help understand those who have been in state car at some point in their lives. The stories of the Forgotten Australians began emerging after the 1980s when people began looking into the Stolen Generation as both groups can be linked together. Children along with child migrants had been placed into the care of institutions under schemes that had operated between 1947 to the 1960s. Within a two year period in 2008 and 2009 the Federal government had apologised to both groups.

Before the government apology in 2009 there had been three national inquiries into the experiences of children who had been placed into institutional care. The reports had uncovered information that had not been known before and would lead towards the government making an apology, although there would be hurdles to go through first. Some of the advocacy group’s objectives were for there to be a senate report into what had happened within the organisations or institutions so that they would not be forgotten by the Australian public. They did lobby the government for the inquiry. There were requirements about how the apology was to be conducted by the government both state and federal along with the institutions who had been involved. Words like ‘if’ and ‘regret’ were not to be used as the apology was meant to be for all people who had been in care and not a select few.

The Howard government had rejected calls for an apology to be made to certain groups between 1996 and 2007. The thought by the government at the time was saying sorry was not their responsibility or appropriate. The Australian states and several institutions between 1999 and 2012 had issued their own apologies through the state premiers. The states paved the way for the Federal government to do the same to the people. The apology on 16 November 2009 tried to rectify the injustices carried out on child migrants to Australia and those who were in institutions within Australia. These people had been known by the name of ‘Forgotten Australians’. Both sides of the government, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull both spoke when they came together for the national apology. There were a number of people gathered to watch the talk who had been part of the group the government were talking about and giving the apology to.

In the wake of the apology there have been projects to document the history of the Forgotten Australians and the people’s access to the archival information that may help them to access records. There are some people who think the apology is a start, but does not go far enough. There is a view that the institutions involved need to be held accountable for what has occurred in the past. Some of the problems maybe the fact that people who were in the care of institutions need help in some way or form for the rest of their lives and need help from not only their families, but also from the government. Out of the apology and recognition for the forgotten Australians a traveling exhibition was formed to showcase information about the life if Children’s homes and institutions. This exhibition was called Inside and looked at the different aspects of life in regards to institutionalised children and child migrants to Australia. The national apology by Kevin Rudd has lead into the Royal Commission into child abuse. One of the Federal Members of parliament was actually a ward of the state.

The Apology in 2009 for the Forgotten Australians was a long time coming since the senate inquiry in 2004. The problems that stemmed from the people who had been institutionalised through many different organisations would be on going and many of the cases would have been recent in history and not something that had been far off down the track. The records are slowly being accessible for all who had been involved and technology has helped with gaining the people with some form of identity especially with many who had the same experiences. Governments apologise for many reasons and the Australian Federal Government’s apology in 2009 recognised the problems of the past as many experiences were unique and the fallout from the apology is still ongoing today especially when other events have occurred like the current Royal Commission.  Apologies are not just an end all and forget about everything that has occurred, but taking responsibility for what has happened in the past to help those involved to move on with their lives.

Bibliography

Primary Sources

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