Today we remember the national apology offered by the then Prime Minister Julia Gillard on 21 March 2013 to those affected by former forced adoption policies and practices in Australia.
The apology followed a national inquiry referred by the Senate to the Community Affairs References Committee in late 2010. The Committee’s report included 20 recommendations on how to respond to the findings. The delivery of the national apology was one recommendation; another was to promote understanding of the issues in the broader community.
Please see a video of the Apology below or read it here – National Apology for Forced Adoptions.
On the day of the apology, the government announced the National Archives would develop a website and an exhibition to:
- increase awareness and understanding of the experiences of individuals affected by forced adoption practices
- identify and share experiences of forced adoptions
- provide information about how to access records.
The link to the history project: http://forcedadoptions.naa.gov.au/
Forced Adoption Support Services (FASS) provides counselling, information and support, assistance with family search and reunion, and referral to other services and networks. We also provide links and referrals to peer support and advocacy groups. If you would like to be on our mailing list to find out about events, groups and workshops, please email passinfo@rasa.org.au or call us on 1800 21 03 13.
