The axiom “Nihil de nobis, sine nobis”—“Nothing About Us Without Us”—has its origins in the politics of 16th century Poland. And the idea lives on in Poland. Recently, university students used the slogan again when strenuously protesting against high-handed changes that the University of Warsaw imposed without consulting the students who would be seriously disadvantaged […]
No light shines for the forgotten Australians. Why?
Another letter to The Age which didn’t make it. But let me share it with you. Simon Gardner (Royal commission can shine a light on ‘forgotten’ people – Age 5/8) writes: ‘Mention the stolen generations and child migrants and eyes light up in recognition…No such light shines for the forgotten Australians. Why?’ I can supply […]
The Paradox of Memorials for the Forgotten
A very interesting article on the Find & Connect blog about memorials around Australia to remember children who grew up in orphanages, children’s Home, and other institutions and in foster ‘care’. (Read it here) This blog post raises again the issue I’ve written about before: is the label ‘Forgotten Australians’ any longer appropriate? Isn’t there an inherent contradiction being […]
Please Don’t Call Me a Forgotten Australian
I lost my childhood to orphanages and foster mothers. As a former ward of the State of Victoria, I knock around with many who grew up like me separated from our families. I have been a long-term advocate for greater awareness of the damaging long-term effects of abusive institutionalisation, and the need for redress and […]
Righting the Record
This is a speech in response to being awarded Life Time Membership of CLAN (Care Leavers Australasia Network) on 4 July 2015. Thank you for this very great honour. I first met Leonie Sheedy BC (before CLAN). It was in Melbourne in 1996 or 1997. A group of us were trying to set up a […]
Whose File is it? Whose Story is it?
21 June 2015 (Revised 26 June 2015) Thanks to good people who offered positive feedback on this blog item. I hope the changes have made it clearer and a better read. Several profound changes have taken place over recent decades that have had a significant impact on how child welfare records are now compiled, stored, […]
Care Leavers Absent from Higher Education
A forgotten cohort? Including people from out-of-home care in Australian higher education policy, by Andrew Harvey, Lisa Andrewartha and Patricia McNamara in the Australian Journal of Education Abstract “People from out-of-home care backgrounds are largely absent from Australian higher education equity policy. Compared with the UK, Australia has moved slowly to consider legislative and programme incentives for young people […]
Sexual Abuse in Residential ‘Care’: Who’s Responsible?
‘Children the main perpetrators of sex abuse in out-of-home care, royal commission told’ That’s the headline in the Sydney Morning Herald (10 March 2015, here); but what’s the substance of the story? According to the story: ‘The vast majority of child sexual abuse occurring in Australian foster homes and residential care facilities is perpetrated by […]
Historic Child Abuse Not Consigned to History’s Garbage Bins
Child Sexual Abuse has not been consigned to the garbage bins of history. In an opinion piece in a Sydney paper today, Claire Harvey rightly takes umbrage at a statement made to the Royal Commission into Child Sexual Abuse last week by the former Principal of the prestigious Knox Grammar School in Sydney where sexual abuse was […]
Museum Exhibition about Orphanages
The Australian National Museum’s exhibition, Inside: Life in Children’s Homes & Institutions, has now ended its national tour of capital cities (it had time in Canberra, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane – but not Sydney, Adelaide or Darwin). From the website comes this WARNING: This website contains confronting and disturbing content, and names and images of […]