AUSTRALIA
The Courier
By RACHEL AFFLICK Aug. 14, 2013
The alleged burial of children at the former Ballarat Orphanage has been referred to the Coroner and Victoria Police.
Former orphanage resident Edith Orr raised the issue at a Ballarat City Council meeting earlier this year, asking how the remains of children allegedly buried on the old orphanage site would be respected if it was redeveloped.
The issue comes after the council received a formal application to rezone the site, which has been sold for a residential subdivision with a medical centre and shopping complex.
Yesterday, a spokesperson for the Office of Aboriginal Affairs Victoria said the department had referred the concerns to Victoria Police and the Coroner for further investigation.
Ms Orr’s sister, Phyllis Read, laid a “blood claim” to the Victoria Street site last year, declaring at the September 14 Ballarat City Council meeting: “I say it’s our blood, so it’s our land”.
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