LOSS / ForWards (Vic)

LOSS (stands for Lives of State Shame) was a grassroots activist organisation established in Melbourne. LOSS had its origins, according to its First Annual General Report, in a public meeting held at Parliament House on 25 July 1997,  attended by more than 100 former State Wards and allies, calling for attention to “the failure of the state to exercise due responsibility over the years for the many thousands of children under their care who were fostered out or institutionalised.” Over the next decade it played a crucial role in supporting former State Wards and raising the profile of justice for State Wards. It changed its name to ForWards in the early 2000s.