Table Of Contents

• Commonwealth Government Rejects Responsibility for its Role in Child Migration
• After the Institution...
• Saying Sorry and Meaning It!

 

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.

 

 

 

After the Institution... Bernadette Fahy grew up in an orphanage in Ireland. In her adult life she has sought to help others overcome the pain and trauma of a childhood spent under institutional care. She recently visited Perth to share her insights with counsellors here. We were delighted to welcome Bernadette to C-BERSS and to hear of her inspiring and dedicated work on behalf of all those who suffered as children in institutions not only in Ireland but throughout the UK. Bernadette is a professional counsellor and the co-founder of the Organisation for the Healing of Institutional Abuse which provides support and advocacy to adults who have experienced institutional abuse as children. She is also an occasional writer for the Irish Times and Irish Independent and the author of "Freedom of Angels - a personal memoir" which documents her own experiences at Goldenbridge Orphanage as a child.

 

 

 

Saying Sorry and Meaning It! The Irish Government has apologised for the wrongs that were done to children, who in previous generations, lived in institutional care within its boundary of responsibility. Bernadette Fahy read out the Irish Government's apology at a forum of counsellors in Perth in February, saying that she believed it was a "genuine and unmitigated expression of sorrow for the wrongs of past". The Government has backed up its apology with a range of initiatives to redress, "in so far as is possible", these wrongs. The package includes the equivalent of more than $8-million for the provision of services. The response of the Irish Government contrasts with the Australian Government's response to the British Inquiry into the Welfare of Child Migrants. Our own Government has indicated that there will be "no apology" - although it does express "regret" and offers additional funding of $120,000 to the Child Migrant Trust in 1999-2000.

 

 

 

C-BERS Services is an independent agency, set up in 1995 to provide a broad range of services which may benefit men who previously lived at child-care institutions run by the Christian Brothers of Western Australia. Open weekdays between 8.30am and 4.30pm. Email welcome@cberss.org Web cberss.org Freecall 1800 621 805 Phone +61 [08] 9381 5422 Fax +61 [08] 9382 4114 Address 12 Alvan St, Subiaco WA 6008 Australia Post to PO Box 1172, Subiaco WA 6904, Australia

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This newsletter was created by Chris Nicholson [me@chrisnicholson.org] for C-BERSS [cberss.org]

 

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