Institutional Harm Apology (Qld)
Following the Forde Inquiry, the Queensland Government issued an apology “To Those Harmed in Queensland Institutions during their Childhood”. It was also signed by representatives of religious orders including the Anglican Church, Catholic Church, and the Salvation Army.
Stolen Generations Apology (Qld)
On 26 May, 1999, Queensland Premier Peter Beattie issued an apology in Parliament on behalf of the House to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Queensland on behalf of all Queenslanders for forcible separation from their families. It came just days before the Forde Inquiry into Abuse of Children in Queensland Institutions Report was presented to the government, and three months before a much longer apology was issued to all children harmed in Queensland’s children’s institutions.
Lotus Place (Qld)
In 1998 the Esther Centre was established in Brisbane. It followed a collaboration called the Esther Project from 1994-1997, established by Catholic communities and parishes in Brisbane to address the impact of violence in Christian communities. Over this period it expanded its focus to the abuse of power in church and State institutions. In 1999, along with a community organisation called Micah Projects, the Esther Centre was awarded a Grant to support people impacted by the Forde Inquiry. In 2006, it was renamed as Lotus Place.
Forde Inquiry (Qld)
The "Commission of Inquiry into Abuse of Children in Queensland Institutions," known as the Forde Inquiry after its Chairperson, Leneen Forde, contained a wide-ranging description of "repeated physical, emotional and sexual abuse" of children in the care of the state over many generations, and a "failure to provide for the basic human needs of children" in institutions, including "limited education, little instruction in life skills and an emotional coldness that had a profound effect on their later lives." (page xii-xiii). It found that “unsafe, improper or unlawful” practices, in “breach… of relevant statutory obligations” occurred in Queensland institutions (p.iii).
Forde Foundation (Qld)
Established in response to a recommendation of Queensland's Forde Inquiry, the Forde Foundation provides small grants and other support for Care Leavers.
Lives of Uncommon Children
A collection of stories written by survivors of residential institutions in Queensland, Lives of Uncommon Children: Reflections of Forgotten Australians was published by Micah Projects, on behalf of Lotus Place, to mark the tenth anniversary of Queensland’s Forde Inquiry.
Neerkol Action Support Group (Qld)
The Neerkol Action Support Group began meeting in mid-1997. Survivors of the St Joseph’s Home, Neerkol (near Rockhampton), approached the Sisters of Mercy seeking an apology and access to counselling and other support services for the abuse and neglect they experienced as children in the institution. The group, though small, was instrumental in instigating the broader political movement towards the Commission of Inquiry into Abuse of Children in Queensland Institutions (1999), commonly known as the Forde Inquiry. The group’s approaches were also influential in subsequent models of recognition and redress used across Australia.
Primary documents relating to the Neerkol Action Support Group are held at the CLAN Orphanage Museum.
Queensland Historic Abuse Memorial
Located at Emma Miller Place, Roma St, Brisbane, "In memory of all the children who suffered and of those who did not survive abuse in Church and State Children’s institutions and homes in Queensland".