Increases Pressure on State Liberals to Get on Board with Tasmanian Apology

Paul O’Halloran MP
Greens Children’s spokesperson
Tuesday, 25 September 2012
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The Tasmanian Greens today urged the State Liberal party to participate in, and endorse, the upcoming formal apology to those affected by past forced adoption practices.

Greens Children’s spokesperson Paul O’Halloran MP said that New South Wales delivered their state apology last week, the first Liberal state to do so since the Senate Report was tabled in the Commonwealth Parliament in February this year.

“The Greens welcome the commitment by the Premier, Lara Giddings, that a formal state apology is made by this Parliament on the 18th of October in the upcoming sitting session,” Mr O’Halloran said.

“This will provide the Tasmanian Parliament with the long over-due opportunity to state to those mothers, fathers, children, brothers and sisters, who were torn apart due to these hurtful practices of the past that it was wrong and should never have happened.”

“It will also provide all three parties the opportunity to commit to learning from this previous appalling policy mistake and commit to never allowing it to happen again in the future.”

“We hope that Will Hodgman has heeded the unconditional apology issued by his Liberal counterpart in NSW, Premier O’Farrell, as stakeholders are raising with us concern over his silence on this issue, and whether the Liberals are actually on board with the need to formally acknowledge via an apology the ongoing hurt, grief and dislocation inflicted on so many Tasmanian mothers, fathers and adoptees.”

“Western Australia issued their apology in 2010. South Australia and New South Wales have since issued theirs, and we hope that when it is Tasmania’s time all three parties stand up and demonstrate the leadership our community deserves,” Mr O’Halloran said.

TIMETABLE:
• 15 November 2010 – Australian Senate sent a terms of reference to the Community Affairs Reference Committee to inquire into the forced adoption practices and policies.
• 2010 – The West Australian government apologised for its role in forced adoptions.
• 29 February 2012 – Senate Community Affairs Reference Committee, chaired by Greens’ Senator Rachel Siewert, tabled its report, “The Commonwealth Contribution to Former Forced Adoption Policies and Practices”.
• 6 March 2012 – Tasmanian Greens’ tabled a motion in the Tasmanian House of Assembly calling for tripartite in-principle support for a State apology, and a working group to be established to develop an appropriately worded apology.
• 23 June 2012 – Federal Attorney-General Nicola Roxon announced the establishment of a reference group to advice the Federal government on the timing and content of a Federal apology.
• 18 July 2012 – South Australian Premier, Jay Weatherill, issued a State apology during a special sitting of the South Australian Parliament.
• 1 August 2012 – Greens Leader Nick McKim MP and Paul O’Halloran MP write to Premier Lara Giddings and Liberal Leader Will Hodgman inviting them to tripartite talks to progress a Tasmanian State Apology.
• 5 August 2012 – Premier Lara Giddings announces commitment to State Apology at ALP State Conference in Hobart.
• 20 September 2012 – NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell issues formal State Apology in NSW Parliament.
• It is estimated that between the 1950s and 1970s, and even into the 1980s in some instances, approximately 150, 000 single mothers had their babies taken against their will by churches and adoption agencies.
• The Catholic Church, the Uniting Church, and the Royal Women’s Hospital (Melbourne) have all apologised for their respective roles in forced adoptions.
Paul O’Halloran MP Greens Children’s spokesperson Tuesday, 25 September 2012