FORCED ADOPTION APOLOGY

Mr GARDNER (Morialta) (15:20): I am going to talk about the national forced adoption apology today. With about 39 minutes and counting of the Gillard prime ministership left, it is probably not a bad time to reflect on one of the few things that she got right. This morning, the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition both supported a national apology to those affected by forced adoptions. For the record, I want to inform the chamber of the words of apology that are being moved in the Senate and the House of Representatives:

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.

4. We deplore the shameful practices that denied you, the mothers, your fundamental rights and responsibilities to love and care for your children. You were not legally or socially acknowledged as their mothers. And you were yourselves deprived of care and support.

5. To you, the mothers who were betrayed by a system that gave you no choice and subjected you to manipulation, mistreatment and malpractice, we apologise.

6. We say sorry to you, the mothers who were denied knowledge of your rights, which meant you could not provide informed consent. You were given false assurances. You were forced to endure the coercion and brutality of practices that were unethical, dishonest and in many cases illegal.

7. We know you have suffered enduring effects from these practices forced upon you by others. For the loss, the grief, the disempowerment, the stigmatisation and the guilt, we say sorry.

8. To each of you who were adopted or removed, who were led to believe your mother had rejected you and who were denied the opportunity to grow up with your family and community of origin and to connect with your culture, we say sorry.

9. We apologise to the sons and daughters who grew up not knowing how much you were wanted and loved.

10. We acknowledge that many of you still experience a constant struggle with identity, uncertainty and loss, and feel a persistent tension between loyalty to one family and yearning for another.

11. To you, the fathers, who were excluded from the lives of your children and deprived of the dignity of recognition on your children's birth records, we say sorry. We acknowledge your loss and grief.

12. We recognise that the consequences of forced adoption practices continue to resonate through many, many lives. To you, the siblings, grandparents, partners and other family members who have shared in the pain and suffering of your loved ones or who were unable to share their lives, we say sorry.

13. Many are still grieving. Some families will be lost to one another forever. To those of you who face the difficulties of reconnecting with family and establishing on-going relationships, we say sorry.

14. We offer this apology in the hope that it will assist your healing and in order to shine a light on a dark period of our nation's history.

15. To those who have fought for the truth to be heard, we hear you now. We acknowledge that many of you have suffered in silence for far too long.

16. We are saddened that many others are no longer here to share this moment. In particular, we remember those affected by these practices who took their own lives. Our profound sympathies go to their families.

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.

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.

That was echoed and supported by the Leader of the Opposition, Tony Abbott, who began his speech with the words, 'I cannot imagine a grief greater than that of a parent and child parted from each other.' I know that every member of this chamber will support the Prime Minister and the federal Leader of the Opposition in the federal parliament in their moves to undertake that apology.

Of course, this apology follows the Western Australian parliament, which undertook this apology under Premier Colin Barnett on 19 October 2010, and this parliament on 18 July last year. It was followed throughout last year by the ACT on 14 August, New South Wales on 20 September, Tasmania on 18 October, Victoria on 25 October, Queensland on 27 November, and today, 21 March 2013, the commonwealth has joined with all of the state parliaments and the ACT in correcting the historical record in this way and standing as an institution of parliament and making sure that these mothers and these children (who are now adult adoptees) understand that the actions of those who took the children were wrong and those involved were certainly not at fault.

I just want to make a very quick comment on the importance of language in the way that these apologies are framed. I understand there were some issues in relation to that today. I can tell the house that, when I was working with the opposition and government members earlier last year in dealing with this matter, language was clearly very important. Some people did not want the words 'babies' or 'children' used because they were adult adoptees. Some people have very strong issues with the words 'birth parents'. In conclusion, I think it is important to note that the intent of the apology and the hearts of those moving the apology are pure, and I support those in Canberra who have undertaken this apology today.