State Government to consider compensation for survivors of forced adoption in WA after calls for ‘bold’ action

The State Government will consider paying compensation to victims of forced adoption in WA but won’t say how much or when, in the wake of an inquiry that investigated the devastating impact of the historical practice. But adoptee Jen McRae said the Government response, tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, was “disappointing” and “underwhelming”. “They weren’t bold enough and they weren’t brave enough,” she said. “They keep saying they’ve listened to us but if they had listened they would have committed to redress.” The majority of 39 recommendations made by the inquiry’s report, “Broken Bonds, Fractured Lives”, have been supported, including calls for improved access to information and mental health support. The Government announced it will establish a forced adoption reference group to guide legislation to introduce integrated birth certificates, 14 years after WA became the first state to issue a formal apology. “Work is currently being undertaken to comprehensively consider a redress scheme,” Child Protection Minister Sabine Winton said. “I acknowledge the extraordinary courage and determination of the many mothers, fathers, adopted people, their families and support services who provided submissions and evidence to the inquiry.” But Ms McRae called the response a cop-out. “It’s very vague, non-committal language so we have no security around redress,” she said. “People have poured their hearts out, lives have been ruined. “They could have committed to it and worked out the detail later.”