Beaumaris And Surrounding Communities - CSA Survivors And Families are being heard! "Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is set to make a formal apology to survivors of institutional sexual abuse, including that which occurred in state government schools.
The government said the historic apology will be delivered in parliament later this year.
It said the apology will include all forms of abuse in institutional settings.
The premier is also expected to meet survivors who attended Beaumaris Primary School, where a number of students were abused by teachers in the 1970s.
It comes amid renewed calls for a government apology to survivors of abuse in state schools, following the death of Cardinal George Pell.
Victoria remains one of few states in Australia that is yet to issue a formal apology to survivors from government schools.
"When survivors of sexual abuse come forward, we respond compassionately and sensitively to their circumstances," the government said in a statement.
"With personal apologies and acknowledgements, direct personal responses when survivors access the National Redress Scheme, and written personal apologies when a formal claim is resolved."
Mistakes must be owned so people can move on, survivor says
Glen Fearnett, 61, from Melbourne, who was abused in 1972 at a Beaumaris Primary School camp, said he would be part of a small group of survivors to meet the premier about the apology on Monday.
For him, a formal apology will be vindication that what so many have known for years has come to light.
"I'm hopeful that from this we can get absolute, full acknowledgement and understanding of the scope of what we know," he said.
Mr Fearnett believes there are still a lot of people keeping their childhood abuse "buried inside".
"They haven't reached out, they haven't shared their burdens," he said.
"Anything that we can do to try and alleviate that is a good thing.
"For a lot of us, if we get an apology and get people to understand how significant the offending was … it will help us move forward."
The current government, on behalf of successive state governments, owning up to mistakes rather than being defensive, will help, Mr Fearnett said.
"You're always told that if you make a mistake, put your hand up, own it," he said.
Apology must be backed by action, advocate says
Karen Walker, whose brother died in a tragic accident after suffering long-term mental ill-health following childhood abuse at Beaumaris Primary School in the 1970s, said an apology on its own would be "hollow".
The Ararat resident and advocate for her brother and survivors said a sincere apology would be backed by action to support healing.
"Just an apology in and of itself can actually do more harm if the survivor or their family or their community are still desperately needing help," Ms Walker said.
Ian Walker died aged 30 in 1997 following long-term battles with depression and anxiety, including suicidal ideation beginning from the age of 13.
His sister said he was an "exceptional" and "gifted" person, but struggled with substance abuse issues, unemployment and homelessness because of the abuse he suffered.
Ms Walker said a state government apology would be an acknowledgement not just of harm done but how it impacts people through their lives.
She said there was still a number of changes recommended in the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, which the government was yet to act upon.
The premier's promise to make an apology comes after the government implemented reforms in the wake of the landmark 2013 Betrayal of Trust report, which followed after a parliamentary inquiry into the handling of child abuse by religious and other organisations.
As a result, Victorian schools have been required to implement policies and procedures to better manage the risk of child abuse and respond to allegations."
There are many reasons for us recommending the Victorian Premier’s formal apology is accompanied by relevant and meaningful information on change already implemented in response to recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, and what outcomes these changes have achieved. Accompanied by information on other changes the Government is both progressing and has planned.
"Every political apology is, in a sense, incomplete, since there is no way to gauge the full meaning and impact of the rhetoric until the state articulates and exercises itself once again through its subsequent action(s). Atonement, for those seeking it, is always elaborated through the next steps taken toward it. When states, through their leaders, swear off a past transgression and promise better behavior in the future, it is proper that we should hold their feet to the fire. There is no reason not to call out evidence of insincerity or backsliding.”
Political Apologies for Historical Injustices: Engaging with Questions of Power, Utility, and Impact. Alexander Karn, Global Studies Quarterly, Volume 2, Issue 4, October 2022, ksac076,
It is also reasonable we request that meaningful, wide consultation occurs with victim/survivors, families, Victorian communities, relevant government and other stakeholders, on the apology preparation, intent, delivery and post-apology actions.
“A political apology, according to this account, is a major undertaking and not an everyday event. There is good reason why this should be so. First of all, an official apology is supposed to constitute a watershed in the history of relations between two peoples or between a government and a group of wronged individuals. It is supposed to separate a past of injustice and indifference into a future of just dealings and respect.
To be such a watershed it has to be a memorable public event – a historical landmark. If it is to have this significance then it has to stand out from the flood of political events that are featured in newspapers one day and disappear from public view the next. It has to acquire the status of a national symbol.
This is why a political act of apology requires preparation, ceremony and subsequent actions. Saying the words is a small part of the proceedings. This is why governments and citizens should be circumspect about what apologies they should make. Political apology is not something that should be done too often.
The second point is that an apology of state requires the participation of both victims and wrongdoers, or their representatives, at three stages.
First it requires that the parties reach a common understanding of the injustice – something that is likely to require considerable public discussion.
Apology, as Barkan emphasises, involves constructing a narrative of the past to which both victims and perpetrators can agree.33
Second, there has to be an agreement about how and under what circumstances the apology should be presented; and third there has to be negotiation about what should follow from the apology, including other acts of reparation that might be required. Participation is required because an apology must be, above all, a demonstration.
The third point is that genuine apology has to involve a commitment that binds future governments and citizens and thus acts that ensure, so far as it is in the power of leaders and citizens, that the commitment will be kept by future as well as present people.”
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