The Senate Committee on the Commonwealth Government Role in Past Adoption Practices read their findings on 29th February 2012. Three members of ARMS committee travelled to Canberra to attend the Report. These are their own accounts.

Kathy

Arriving at Canberra on the 29^th February 2012, we met a couple of mothers who had lost their child to adoption; they were among many bold and courageous women we would meet. Each woman had a harrowing story of loss and/or losses. I felt a strong sense of unity and connection even though we had just met. We shared a taxi and upon arrival at Parliament we were filmed by a friend of one of the women, who was making a documentary. An assistant to a Parliamentarian guided us around the more secure areas of Capital Hill. I felt extremely welcome at Parliament, while we were waiting for the Senate Inquiry. We were seated at the front of the gallery in good time, sitting there for about ten minutes before the recommendations were made. I thought I would fall asleep after even that short amount of time. But I woke up!

Four of the senators spoke in turn with emotional and sincere integrity for eight minutes each. They were on our side and tears were rolling, silent as we could be, because we had to be following the rules of the parliamentary gallery. A woman let out a loud cry throughout the Senate. All strength was used not to follow suit. We were used to holding in our tears and grief. When some of the recommendations were read, spontaneous applause occurred from the gallery. Protocol required the speaker to ask us to refrain from applauding the most welcome recommendations. Imagine our surprise when time had run out for the tabling, the Senators all stood up together and applauded the 100 or so mothers. Some mothers stood up and clapped because of the recommendations.

This felt like a high honour, never to be forgotten, for the women of Australia who have been through forced adoptions. Their torturous suffering through separation and disconnection from their loved ones, society and family was finally acknowledged. Their pain would now become legitimate in the Australian government eyes. Yes, it was a crime, we knew that. I believe they know now.

The veil has begun to be lifted. Too late for some of those who have died, those who will never meet and others with permanently scarred souls - for them, I think everyone involved and not just Parliament needs to stand up and say honestly “Sorry”. They have been waiting for a long time and they have been waiting a lifetime.

DOROTHY

Three members of ARMS travelled together on 29^th February 2012 in order

to witness the tabling in the Senate of the Community Affairs References Committee report into former forced adoption policies and practices.

Members of another adoption support group had arranged with their Ballarat MP to be taken on a guided tour of Parliament House and they kindly allowed us to join them.

We went into the public gallery at about 3.45pm and were ushered to seats in the front row. Several other matters were dealt with and at about 4pm Senator Rachel Siewert introduced the report with a passionate and informed speech which revealed that she had a deep understanding of every aspect of the adoption process and profound sympathy for all the mothers, fathers, adoptees and extended families who had suffered and who continue to suffer. She applauded the courage shown by those who had bared their souls in writing submissions and during attendance at the Hearings which were held in most capital cities over the past two years.

Senator Claire Moore then spoke about the report without using any notes and she also showed great empathy for all those involved and outrage at the many instances she had become aware of where unmarried mothers were abused, lied to, discriminated against, treated with disrespect and very often suffered from illegal and callous treatment by hospital staff, ‘refuge’ and ‘home’ staff, social workers and ministers of religion.

Senators Siewert and Moore were enthusiastically applauded, which the Speaker allowed but he then requested that we abstain from further applause out of respect for the decorum of the Senate.

Senators Boyce and McKenzie spoke and it was apparent that all members of the committee had involved themselves intensely in the two-year process and were unanimously in favour of pursuing the many recommendations made, including appropriate apologies, provision of counselling, reparation and assistance in reuniting mothers and their children. (The recent apology by Royal Women’s Hospital was dismissed as being equivocal and meaningless, had outraged the mothers and exacerbated their feelings of not having their experiences validated in any meaningful way.)

The final speaker was Senator Stephens, who was not a committee member. She spoke eloquently and was obviously deeply moved by what she had learned from the Report:

“Adoption is a lifelong process, not a one-time event…

The report makes it abundantly clear that human

dignity was not a consideration in the case of these

young women and their babies. The dominant themes

were of raw emotions—betrayal, humiliation,

condemnation, abandonment, trickery, grief and, of

course, abject loss. The report brings great heartbreak

into the light from the shadows of the past—the not too

distant past. And although, as Senator Siewert has said,

this makes harrowing reading, it is always a good thing

when the truth is revealed, even when the truth is what

psychiatrist Geoff Rickarby has rightly described as 'a

stain on our history'.

Nothing can heal the experience of love and loss of

these women, who carry it with them every day. But I

sincerely hope that, through this report and the

recommendations, we can help remove their sense of

shame and restore their dignity and self-worth. My

favourite poet, Leonard Cohen, would surely say of

this report, 'Nothing's perfect, there's a crack in

everything, that's how the light gets in.' I hope the light

shines brightly”

I was profoundly moved by the intensity of grief exhibited by many of those present. Adoptees felt that they had been denied their birthright – to be loved by and nurtured by the woman who gave birth to them. Mothers had expressed again and again in their submissions the frustration

and anger they felt at being denied (in Victoria) access to identifying information. The Senators all mentioned the unquenchable love for their child which so many mothers had expressed in their submissions and during personal appearances at Hearings. They assured adoptees that they were not ‘given away’ or unloved. There were mothers who had been told their child had died, only to meet up many years later with that child. Mother and child were the victims of ‘Rapid Adoption’ (where the married mother of a stillborn baby was given the newborn baby of a single mother and the single mother was told that her baby had died. [Chapter 3, Pages 66 and 67 of the Report]

Chapter 12 page 247 investigates in detail the dilemma created for many people by the practise of issuing false birth certificates. [This is a personal issue for me, as my son’s original birth certificate stated that he was my “unnamed male child” and omitted his father’s details. We were later able to have every detail of the original birth certificate corrected.] The Committee’s view on page 254 is that an integrated birth certificate that records all details on one record: original parents, adoptive parents, and the adoption … be made available to all adoptees who apply for it.

Everyone was invited to an afternoon tea which was attended by several members of the press and all of the Senators.

We have several copies of the 319-page report, which includes:

Chapter 3: Mothers’ experiences of pregnancy in maternity homes, at home, and in the community and of birth and hospitals. The issue of Consent.

Chapter 4: Effects of forced adoption and the experience of adopted people.

Chapter 5: The role of the Commonwealth – social security and benefits system

Chapter 8 The need for a national framework

Chapter 9 Apologising for past wrongs; the need for an apology; what constitutes an effective apology; apologies to date.

Chapter 10 The need for counselling and mental health support services

Chapter 11 Compensation; formal grievance and complaint mechanisms.

Chapter 12 Access to information; registering births; access to information

FAYE

Canberra 29^th February 2012

Kathy, Dorothy and I set off for Canberra in the morning. Our flight left at 11.30 am. While leaving the plane at Canberra Airport we met Lyn and Brenda who were also attending parliament house for the Inquiry findings. We all shared a taxi. Lyn had arranged, with her local member, to have a guided tour of Parliament house so we were invited to join.

We entered many of the private areas and finished with a look at the views from the roof. I learned that the many clocks hanging from the ceiling have two lights green and red, when something is passed the green light flashes when something is not the red light flashes. They also have a bell that rings for various reasons. Sometimes to call people to the senate. During the tour we met several other women .One an adoptee named Kim. Kim has been looking for her mother for sometime and cannot even find any records of her adoption.

We then had a quick lunch at the cafeteria, food was not great, meeting several other women there. We also found Jan Russ in the cafeteria. It was an interesting time as women introduced themselves and briefly swapped stories. I really began to feel as though I was part of something special.

At around 3.45 the 3 of us decided to head for the Gallery in the Senate. So we checked our bags and in we went. Kept a few tissues just in case. We were put into the front row, good timing I think.

It was a birds eye view on the world of our senate. Interesting to see people in the senate get up and wander around and arrive, bowing to the chair, all seemed quite casual. All while one of the young male senators was discussing Juliene Assange. Not sure what his proposal was but the Nays won.

Then it was time for the findings of the Community Affairs Resources Committee to read their findings on the Inquiry into Commonwealth Contribution to Former Adoption Policies and Practices.

Seven Senators read the findings in this order Sen Rachel Siewart, Chair. Sen Claire Moore, Sen Judith Adams, Sen Sue Boyce Sen Carol Brown, Sen Bridget MKenzie Sen Catryna Bilyk.

All Political Parties were involved. AG, ALP, LP NP,.

I would take too long to explain all of the findings but it can be read on line in the Hansard for 29^th Feb 2012. Item 66 in the pdf.

It was an emotionally charged event. Many of the senators choked back tears as they read. The Gallery could not refrain from applauding several times, as it was found that past practices were often illegal and always immoral.

They stipulated that forced adoption includes incidences where the mother was talked into losing her child as well as the more obvious forms of forcing, in otherwords coersion.

The Committee has made 20 recommendations including apologies from all institutions and all bodies involved. Informed counseling readily available for everyone affected. They slammed the RWH apology saying they found instances of illegal things the RWH did without looking too hard. They discussed removing vetoes and false birth certificates.

After the readings the whole senate turned to the 100 or so women 20 men in the gallery and applauded us. We all stood and applauded back.

Afternoon tea was provided and we were joined by the Senators. The told us that realistically out of the 20 recommendations probably only 10 will be implemented but they would all be working hard to try to get all of them through. Rachel Siewert said this is only the beginning. They also need our support to help.

I found it an amazing experience. To have these people acknowledge that I was treated badly and that my baby was treated badly was really important to me. No one has ever done that for me before, except other mothers at support groups who went through the same. Even my family (siblings) has never wanted to listen or hear about any of it.

I felt a lot of emotions going through me as they read. I kept having to remind myself of where I was and who was speaking. It seemed surreal.

I met many women who were warm and lovely and felt as happy as I did. It was a great afternoon.

We shared a taxi with other ladies and got to know a few more. Then back to the airport and Melbourne.

Now I could be negative and say. There were not many others actually sitting in the senate apart from the ones involved. Some men left during the readings. But really if some of them could not make it or could not cut it I don’t really care.

Also the press coverage has been disappointing as I would like all adoptees to hear about it. So they understand a bit more.

But thats it from me or you will be reading all day

Faye