MEMBERSHIP OF THE COMMITTEE Members for the 39th Parliament Senator the Hon Rosemary Crowley, Chair ALP, South Australia Senator Sue Knowles, Deputy Chairman LP, Western Australia Senator Andrew Bartlett AD, Queensland Senator Chris Evans ALP, Western Australia Senator Brenda Gibbs ALP, Queensland Senator Tsebin Tchen LP, Victoria Substitute Member Senator Murray for Senator Bartlett for AD, Western Australia the inquiry Participating Members Senator the Hon Eric Abetz LP, Tasmania Senator Bob Brown Greens, Tasmania Senator Paul Calvert LP, Tasmania Senator Grant Chapman LP, South Australia Senator John Cherry* AD, Queensland Senator Helen Coonan LP, New South Wales Senator Winston Crane LP, Western Australia Senator Kay Denman ALP, Tasmania Senator Alan Eggleston LP, Western Australia Senator the Hon John Faulkner ALP, New South Wales Senator Alan Ferguson LP, South Australia Senator Jeannie Ferris LP, South Australia Senator Michael Forshaw ALP, New South Wales Senator the Hon Brian Gibson LP, Tasmania Senator Brian Harradine Ind, Tasmania Senator Ross Lightfoot LP, Western Australia Senator Sue Mackay ALP, Tasmania Senator Brett Mason LP, Queensland Senator Julian McGauran NPA, Victoria Senator Kerry O’Brien ALP, Tasmania Senator Marise Payne LP, New South Wales Senator John Tierney LP, New South Wales Senator John Watson LP, Tasmania Senator Sue West ALP, New South Wales *for matters relating to family and community services LIST OF ACRONYMS ACMF Australian Child Migrant Foundation C-BERS Christian Brothers Ex-Residents and Students Services CCWC Catholic Child Welfare Council CEMWA Catholic Episcopal Migration and Welfare Association CLAN Care Leavers of Australia Network CMC Catholic Migrant Centre CMFS Child Migrant Friendship Society Inc CMSAG Child Migrants’ Sending Agencies Group CMT Child Migrants Trust CSSS Community Settlement Services Scheme DIMA Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs FaCS Department of Family and Community Services IAFCM&F International Association of Former Child Migrants and Their Families ISS International Social Service JLG Catholic Church’s Joint Liaison Group on Child Migration NAA National Archives of Australia NCH National Children’s Homes NCVCCO National Council of Voluntary Child Care Organisations PHIND Personal History Index SAAP Supported Accommodation Assistance Program PROLOGUE This report describes a very sorry chapter in Australia’s history. It is a story which has to be told and in so doing, exposes the role of both the British and Australian Governments in bringing child migrants to this country. The British and Australian Governments entered into agreements for the migration of children to Australia. The Australian Government was the legislated guardian of the children but then transferred responsibility for their care to State Governments. In turn, the State Governments transferred responsibility to receiving agencies. The responsibility was transferred, but in many cases the duty of care and protection was not. While some child migrants have made positive comments about their time in institutional care, many others can only recall childhoods of loneliness, great hardship and privations. While under the custodianship of receiving agencies, there was a complete disregard for the needs, the safety and wellbeing of many child migrants. State Governments were unable or unwilling to ensure the protection of the children and the Committee received evidence of shocking physical and sexual abuse and assault perpetrated by those charged with their day-to-day care. Australian authorities ignored changes in childcare arrangements developing in the United Kingdom and many child migrants were placed in barrack-style institutions, isolated from the general community. Connection with family was severed or actively discouraged by carers. Without those connections, children lost their personal identity, culture and country. The report notes the two dominant concerns of child migrant witnesses were their loss of identity and their need to have the opportunity to tell their story, be heard and believed. This report recognises that while some former child migrants have prospered in this country, have successful relationships with partners and children and never lost contact with family, many others are not in this position. The report illustrates the consequences of emotional deprivation and abuse in childhood, and the struggle such children face as adults to cope and contribute and to live fruitful and constructive lives. The cost both human and economic, of treating our children as described in the report is great. Equally grave, the damage done is passed on to subsequent generations. The child migrants have told their story. This report stands as a tribute to them all: for those who had the courage to speak to the Committee; for those who have contributed to the Australian community over many years; and for those who have not survived. But perhaps the most significant monument to former child migrants is that by telling their stories for this report, child migrants have ensured that this will never happen again. RECOMMENDATIONS Chapter 1 Recommendation 1: That the Commonwealth Government urge the State and Territory Governments to undertake inquiries similar to the Queensland Forde inquiry into the treatment of all children in institutional care in their respective States and Territories; and that the Senate Social Welfare Committee’s 1985 inquiry be revisited so that a national perspective may be given to the issue of children in institutional care. Chapter 2 Recommendation 2: That British and Maltese former child migrants be treated equally in accessing any of the services currently provided or as recommended in this report, including access to travel funding. Chapter 3 Recommendation 3: That the Commonwealth Government establish the means to accurately determine the numbers of child migrants sent to Australia during the 20th century to assist in determining the level of support services and other assistance needed for former child migrants. Chapter 5 Recommendation 4: That in accordance with the Statutes of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, the Commonwealth Government initiate the process for Francis Paul Keaney’s membership of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire to be cancelled and annulled. Recommendation 5: That the Commonwealth Government continue to provide funding for at least three years directly to the Child Migrants Trust to ensure that the specialised services of tracing and counselling are provided or accessible to former child migrants living throughout Australia. Chapter 6 Recommendation 6: That the Commonwealth Government urge the British Government to continue financial resources for the National Council of Voluntary Child Care Organisations (NCVCCO) for the retention and expansion of the Child Migrant Central Information Index. Recommendation 7: That the Commonwealth Government urge all State Governments to establish a comprehensive signposting index similar to that established by the Western Australian Government. Recommendation 8: That the Commonwealth Government urge all State Governments to co-operate to establish a national index of child migrants. xvi Recommendation 9: That the Commonwealth Government urge State and Territory Governments to publish directories of information to assist all former residents of children’s institutions to access records similar to the directories published by the New South Wales and Queensland Governments. Recommendation 10: The Committee recommends that a national group of all receiving agencies, other relevant bodies and Commonwealth and State Governments be established to develop uniform protocols for accessing records and sharing information relevant to former child migrants, their families and descendants and to coordinate services for former child migrants. Recommendation 11: That the National Archives of Australia be provided with sufficient funding to ensure continuation of the program of digitising its records relating to child migration. Recommendation 12: That the National Archives of Australia liaise with the Genealogy and Personnel Records Section of the National Archives of Canada in relation to the technology, protocols, processes and procedures the Canadians have implemented to facilitate access to their records for former child migrants and their descendants. Recommendation 13: That the Commonwealth Government provide at least three year funding to those agencies engaged in dedicated tracing in the United Kingdom to assist former child migrants to locate their families, based on applications by agencies undertaking that work. Recommendation 14: That all organisations holding records pertaining to former child migrants make these records available to former child migrants or their authorised representative immediately and unconditionally. Recommendation 15: That where any organisation holds primary documents, including birth certificates, relating to any living former child migrant without their express permission, former child migrants be entitled to recover that document from the holding organisation. Recommendation 16: That all sending and receiving agencies be required to extend access to their records to descendants of former child migrants. Recommendation 17: The Committee recommends that the Commonwealth Government: • confer automatic citizenship on all former child migrants, with provision for those who do not wish to become Australian citizens to decline automatic citizenship;