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The Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs

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The Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs SENATE INQUIRY INTO CHILD MIGRATION Submission by the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs December 2000 Senate Inquiry Into Child Migration Table of Contents PART 1 - PREAMBLE Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................................3 Framework of submission..............................................................................................................................................4 Key issues .....................................................................................................................................................................6 Who were the child migrants?...........................................................................................................................................6 How Many Children Were Sent from Institutions in the United Kingdom to Institutions in Australia?.........................................7 What arrangements did the Minister make for his responsibilities as guardian to be carried out?.............................................7 What was the motivation for Commonwealth involvement in the schemes?...........................................................................8 What are the parallels between child migrants and separated indigenous children?...............................................................8 The social context and attitudes to institutional care ............................................................................................................9 What has the Commonwealth done to assist child migrants to reunite with their families and receive counselling about their experiences?.................................................................................................................................................................10 Grounds for Compensation?...........................................................................................................................................11 Conclusion....................................................................................................................................................................11 Part 2 - RESPONSE TO TERMS OF REFERENCE 1. Overview of Child Migration Schemes ...................................................................................................................13 Origins of the Child Migration Scheme – Overview of Schemes pre 1945 .....................................................................14 Factors that influenced the emigration of British children ...................................................................................................14 Agencies involved in child emigration...............................................................................................................................15 Barnardo’s ....................................................................................................................................................................16 Fairbridge......................................................................................................................................................................16 Big Brother ....................................................................................................................................................................16 Christian Brothers ..........................................................................................................................................................17 Child Migration Schemes since 1945............................................................................................................................17 ‘Populate or perish’ ........................................................................................................................................................18 Consideration of children in the migration program............................................................................................................18 Changing United Kingdom attitudes to child migration in the post war period.......................................................................19 Legislative basis for post war child migration....................................................................................................................20 Operation of the schemes ...............................................................................................................................................21 Commonwealth funding arrangements .............................................................................................................................22 Inspections of children’s Institutions .................................................................................................................................22 Moss and Ross Reports .................................................................................................................................................24 Moss Report..................................................................................................................................................................24 Ross Report..................................................................................................................................................................24 1960s Onwards – Changes In Monitoring Practices ..........................................................................................................25 Institutional care and changing social values in Australia............................................................................................26 Other child and youth migration schemes from the United Kingdom ..........................................................................28 Big Brother Movement....................................................................................................................................................28 Single Parent and Two Parent Scheme............................................................................................................................29 Recent migrant children arrivals and the IGOC Act......................................................................................................29 Humanitarian Minors ......................................................................................................................................................29 Inter-country Adoptions ..................................................................................................................................................30 2. Responses To The Legacy Of Child Migration Schemes ........................................................................................32 Idea of Family Reunion during the 1940s and 1950s .........................................................................................................32 Counselling and Aftercare...............................................................................................................................................34 Measures taken to assist former child migrants ................................................................................................................35 Assistance in accessing records......................................................................................................................................36 Health and Counselling Services .....................................................................................................................................37 Acquiring a Sense of Identity ...........................................................................................................................................37 3. Formal Acknowledgment And Apology..................................................................................................................39 4. Measures of Reparation Including, But Not Limited To, Compensation And Rehabilitation....................................41 5. Statutory and Administrative Limitations...............................................................................................................43 PART 3 - ATTACHMENTS Attachment A Child/Youth migration statistics 1947-June 1961 ..........................................................................................45 Attachment B Approval of institutions to receive child or youth migrants ..............................................................................46 Attachment C Text of Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs Form Australian Citizenship, No. 8 – former British child migrants 1014I .......................................................................................................................................................48 Annexure A Instruments of Delegation .............................................................................................................................51 Annexure B Indenture between Western Australia Child Welfare Department and the Catholic Episcopal Migration and Welfare Association....................................................................................................................................................................52 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................................................53
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