Victorian Government Apology
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan led an apology to all Victorians who experienced abuse and neglect as children in institutional care. In her official apology delivered in Victorian Parliament, Premier Jacinta Allan said, "Today we acknowledge a shameful chapter in our history, and the experience of a group of Victorians who have fought for a long time to be heard."
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.
Victorian Forced Adoption Apology
The Victorian Parliament issued an official apology, to “the mothers, fathers, sons and daughters who were profoundly harmed by past adoption practices in Victoria.”
Victorian Forced Adoption Inquiry
The Victorian Legislative Assembly Legal and Social Issues Committee prepared and presented a report on their “Inquiry into responses to historical forced adoptions in Victoria”. It made 56 recommendations related to acknowledgement of harms, redress, records and legislative reform.
Victorian Redress Campaign
Through the latter half of 2022 a social media, media and in-person campaign led by CLAN (Care Leavers Australasia Network) resulted in the Victorian Government announcing a new redress scheme for people who grew up in out-of-home care with the precise scope and terms of the scheme to be co-designed with survivors. It came after similar Victorian schemes were introduced in relations to the Stolen Generations and Forced Adoptions.
Cummins Report (Vic.)
The report of the Protecting Victoria's Vulnerable Children Inquiry by the Victorian Government - known as the Cummins Report after its Chair Philip Cummins - provided a comprehensive overview of the contemporary Child Protection and out-of-home care sectors. It made a range of recommendations that led to the development of new services.
Open Place (Vic)
Open Place is a support and advocacy service for survivors of institutional placements in Victoria. It was established and funded by the Victorian Government as one of its commitments after its formal apology to Victorian Forgotten Australians in 2006. Initially funding was provided to the community sector organisation Berry Street to manage Open Place. In July 2020 Relationships Australia Victoria became the provider of Open Place.
Australian Orphanage Museum
Care Leavers Australasia Network (CLAN) manages and operates the Australian Orphanage Museum in Geelong, Victoria. It opened on 1 April 2023.
Victorian Memorial
Located on Southbank Promenade, next to the Yarra River to "remember those thousands of children who were separated from their families and grew up or spent time in Victorian orphanages, children’s homes and foster homes last century."