𝐀𝐑𝐀’𝐬 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐒 𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐄𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋 𝐆𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐀𝐂𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐎𝐅 𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐀𝐝𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐅𝐄𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋 𝐆𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 – 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒.
Adoptee Rights Australia (ARA) Inc has been working with Senator Allman-Payne’s office to get questions asked in the Senate Estimates about why undertakings that were made – and work started – by the government after the Senate Inquiry into Forced Adoption have not been followed through.
𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐖𝐇𝐘 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐒 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒.
We know that FASS (the Federally funded Forced Adoption Support Service) has always been used as a smokescreen to hide the fact that most of the recommendations were either never implemented, or were started and then shut down. FASS (questions on it’s efficacy in most states aside) is only a PART of what was promised, yet it’s always used to brush-off and deflect questions about why nothing further has happened.
𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐃𝐔𝐄 𝐓𝐎𝐃𝐀𝐘, 𝟐𝟖𝐓𝐇 𝐍𝐎𝐕 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓. 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 “𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐜𝐤” 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐞’𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝟏𝟑 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬?
We’ll see if FASS is trotted out again in an attempt to cover all of the following questions:
1. The 2012 ‘Commonwealth Contribution to Former Forced Adoption Policies and Practices’ inquiry, included recommendation 11, “The committee recommends that the Commonwealth should lead discussions with states and territories to consider the issues surrounding the establishment and funding of financial reparation schemes”. What actions have been taken to lead discussions on financial reparation schemes?
2. Have financial reparation schemes for people impacted by forced adoption practices been discussed in any recent Ministerial Councils?
3. When was the last time that Recommendations of the ‘Commonwealth Contribution to Former Forced Adoption Policies and Practices’ inquiry were raised through Ministerial Councils, or any similar intergovernmental forums?
4. The July 2023 ‘Community Services Ministers meeting communique’ states that the meeting included “positive discussions about renewing cooperation and boosting national momentum to address the effects of forced adoption policies and practices”. What outcomes followed these discussions?
5. What has happened and what is intended for the future regarding recommencing action in relation to the ‘Commonwealth Contribution to Former Forced Adoption Policies and Practices’ inquiry recommendations?
6. Recommendations 8, 9, 16, 17, 18 and 19 of the ‘Commonwealth Contribution to Former Forced Adoption Policies and Practices’ inquiry, were agreed to “in principle” with the proviso that further decisions following the completion of a scoping study. What progress has been made in relation to each of these Recommendations?
7. Recommendation 20 of the ‘Commonwealth Contribution to Former Forced Adoption Policies and Practices’ inquiry outlined commissioning an exhibition documenting the experiences of those affected by former forced adoption policies and practices. Whilst funding was initially provided, The Forced Adoptions History Project is now considered finished, and the website decommissioned. Why was it not continued?
8.The final report of the Forced Adoptions Implementation Working Group included recommendation 13, “That the Government forthwith commit to the funding of services for people affected by forced adoption beyond the expiration of the funding allocated by the Government’s Response to the Senate Report”. Provide the total annual funding for people affected by forced adoption from 2012 to 2025, with a breakdown by each program.
See questions 172-175 for 2025-26 Supplementary Budget Estimates asked by Senator Penny Allman-Payne of the Department of Social Services in Questions on Notice:
https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Senate_estimates/ca