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	'Forgotten Australians' Seek Apology for Abuse By Bronwyn Herbert ABC News June 24, 2009 http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/06/24/2606790.htm?section=australia Hundreds of thousands of Australian children raised in institutions over the past century say they want a formal apology for the abuse and neglect they suffered. They have named themselves the Forgotten Australians and a large number of them are in Canberra this week for the tabling of a parliamentary report, which reviewed recommendations made years ago that still have not been acted on. There are 500,000 children who suffered abuse in state and church-run homes and institutions. Jim Luthy was one of them. "No-one knew I was there, I was just simply placed into this incredibly brutal home," he said. "It was identified as one of the most brutal homes in New South Wales. So that's how I ended up there. My mother died, my father shot through, for no other reason than that you could just be virtually kidnapped and taken off the streets and placed into a home." He says two senate inquiries - the last in 2005 - documented the neglect, physical, emotional and sexual abuse that took place at 500 institutions across Australia. But Mr Luthy says they are still waiting for the inquiry's main recommendation of an apology to be fulfilled. "Just to be acknowledged as people of worth," he said. For the state to say, 'listen we did wrong. We didn't acknowledge you. We didn't keep an eye on what the churches were doing at the times and we're sorry". "It's not something that says we're going to look at some negligence law suit or something like that. It's simply an acknowledgement that we are people." Leonie Sheady, who spent 13 years in an orphanage in Geelong, is now the president of the Care Leavers Network of Australia (CLAN). She says she hopes this week's report tabled in the Senate is the last of the paperwork and there will be some practical action. "People need a national search service to help reunite families, they need access to all records pertaining to their time in the care of the State Government," she said. She says those who suffered want closure. "We can't wait any longer," she said. "Vera who is 97 is dying. She lives in Mr Rudd's electorate and she needs to die with some dignity and closure on this issue. "The Prime Minister in his victory speech in November 2007 said these words: without family you are nothing. "How well do we, the 500,000 Australians who languished in the 500-plus orphanages understand that sentence? It's time this Government acknowledged the separation of all people who were separated from their families." In a statement, the Federal Government says it looks forward to receiving the report and is committed to acknowledging the past hurt caused by Government actions.
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