Friday 24th August, 2012
Speaking in State Parliament recently, Queensland’s Premier Campbell Newman said, “We hope the official apology will help ease the pain felt by those people who have been so deeply affected, and assist them in their healing process.”
Mr. Newman’s announcement has been warmly welcomed by Karyn Walsh, coordinator of Micah Projects in Brisbane.
“The fact that the Queensland government will make an official apology about the practice of forced adoption in Queensland is good news for those affected,” says Karyn.
“Many women have courageously spoken out about the practices, the impact on them as young women and long lasting effects on the life and families,” says Karyn.
“To be heard by the Premier and have a commitment to an apology is essential to them personally, and important to us all as Queenslanders.
“The burden of these practices should never be left to be dealt with in silence or reduced to a personal, individual experience. The systems of care that were authorized by the state did not follow the law, or protect the vulnerability of the women they were set up to serve.
“It is therefore so important that the Queensland government place on public record an apology that vindicates the mothers, acknowledges the wrong that was done and respects the healing process of all those affected by breaking the silence that has surrounded these issues.”
Micah Projects receives funding from the Queensland Government and the Australian Government to provide state-wide services to Forgotten Australians and British Child Migrants, many of whom have experienced forced adoptions.
