Questions without notice and ministers statements
Care leavers redress scheme
Ms MAXWELL (Northern Victoria) (12:00): My question is to the Attorney-General, representing the Premier. Attorney, the government has announced a number of redress schemes for those who have been harmed by historical actions from state policies and practices, schemes such as redress for mothers who had their children forcibly removed when born out of wedlock and reparations for Aboriginal children forcibly removed from their families. In the chamber today are members of the Care Leavers Australasia Network (CLAN) who continue to campaign for recognition and redress for the physical, psychological and emotional abuse, including child labour practices, they endured in state institutions. They do not begrudge the other redress schemes, but it compounds their trauma when the government will not do the same for them. Why won’t the government acknowledge their harm with redress for this abuse?
Ms SYMES (Northern Victoria—Leader of the Government, Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (12:00): I thank Ms Maxwell for her question. At the outset I also would like to acknowledge the tireless work and advocacy that CLAN do on behalf of those that have experienced abuse in institutional care. It is one of the organisations that we fund to support victims and to provide a range of services to pre-1990 care leavers. The supports include counselling and access to records, drop-in centres, social support groups and the like, and that work is tremendously important. We as a government are very happy to engage with CLAN. I have met with them, and I understand that this week both new ministers Kilkenny and Brooks have also met or are meeting with CLAN in relation to some of these issues.
Our government will continue to explore policies and program options to acknowledge and learn from the experience of people who have experienced harm from institutional abuse and consider ways that we can best support them. As Ms Maxwell has identified, I am certainly aware that those wards of the state who have suffered non-sexual abuse have renewed calls for redress, particularly off the back of the redress schemes that Ms Maxwell identified that the government has recently announced in relation to stolen generations reparations and forced adoptions. We do recognise that trauma takes a range of forms and will continue to work with those impacted, as I said.
There is the national Ministers Redress Scheme Governance Board, which is currently looking at the federal scheme which currently covers those who have suffered sexual abuse. That governance board is considering recommendations about eligibility criteria. Minister Rishworth is now the relevant minister. She has also recently announced increased funding for organisations that support victims of sexual abuse from institutional organisations, which is a really welcome investment of around $40 million. I also understand that she is a patron of CLAN so I am sure would be very interested in having conversations in relation to the scheme and how it is operating at the federal level. Currently the federal government is responsible for this scheme and obviously the states are all part of that, so there is a lot of work in this space. As I said, I do commend the work of CLAN, and there are ongoing conversations about continued support both at the state level and at the federal level, I am sure.
Ms MAXWELL (Northern Victoria) (12:03): Thank you, Attorney. I have to say that, yes, I wrote to the Honourable Minister Rishworth and had an incredibly prompt reply in relation to this matter. Attorney, there are survivors of sexual abuse in state settings that are unable to access redress or state support because they were placed voluntarily by their parents into state care and there are few or no records that exist to verify their claim. To assist them in accessing redress for this abuse, will the government lobby the federal government to improve the scheme and find other ways to assess these care leavers who remain invisible and bereft of support?
Ms SYMES (Northern Victoria—Leader of the Government, Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services) (12:04): I thank Ms Maxwell for her supplementary question. As I indicated in my substantive answer, there is the governance board looking at the eligibility criteria, particularly for those that have been subjected to sexual abuse but are having issues in meeting the current eligibility criteria. I am more than happy to ensure that those matters that you have raised are on that agenda.