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C-BERSS EX-PRESS
March 2000
Issue 1, Vol 3
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All Newsletters : March 2000 : Commonwealth Government Rejects Responsibility for its Role in Child Migration
Commonwealth Government Rejects Responsibility for its Role in Child Migration
The Commonwealth maintains that responsibility for dealing with issues affecting the welfare of former child migrants rests with the State and Territory Governments.
The Australian Government's response to the British Inquiry into the Welfare of Child Migrants will bring little relief to the continuing hardships experienced by many former child migrants living in Australia.
While describing the Commonwealth's response was "predictable" C-BERSS Chairperson, Maria Harries, says she shares the disappointment expressed by C-BERSS clients and counsellors at the failure of the Federal Government to take more decisive action in support of former child migrants.
Ms Harries said the Australian Government was a legal party to the "severely flawed" Child Migration policy. It should, by rights, therefore accept some responsibility for the outcomes of that policy.
However the Commonwealth's response is more about what it WILL NOT DO, rather than what it intends to do to fulfil this responsibility, said Ms Harries. For example, the government response makes it clear that it...
WILL NOT hold a National Inquiry into Child Migration practices.
WILL NOT conduct an inquiry into post war practices in institutions (claiming this is the responsibility of the State and Territory Governments)
WILL NOT offer Compensation (agreeing with the British Government that "support and practical help with tracing is of greater significance to child migrants than compensation")
WILL NOT review its policy of not providing "Legal Aid Funds in matters where an award of damages might be available"
has NO PLANS to alter its Statute of Limitations which may prevent some former child migrants pursuing legal action for damages
WILL NOT make exceptions to the Australian Social Security System for former child migrants as recommended by the British Government (claiming the system is "already generous enough").
The Australian Government response welcomes the $3 million travel fund set up by the British Government but offers little by way of extra funding itself. (Apart from an extra $120,000 in 1999-2000 for the International Social Services (ISS) Scheme).
In its response, the Government claims it "has already contributed a lot" by giving $654,021 to the Child Migrant Trust for counselling, information retrieval and reunification services.
Moreover, the Government response makes no reference to the more than $2-million already contributed by the Christian Brothers to C-BERSS to help former child migrants reunite with their families of origin and for other support services.
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