The Government is being urged to give up responsibility for care and protection, youth justice and disability services.
A nearly six-year Royal Commission of Inquiry final report on the abuse and neglect of children, young people and vulnerable adults in state and faith-based care has been released today.
It makes 138 recommendations, including calling for apologies from the church and state and police investigation of historic and current allegations.
ZB political reporter Demelza Jackson says the findings have been labelled a 'national disgrace'.
"The immediate call, from what I'm reading, is for the Government to put in place that redress system for survivors - these conversations about payouts and apologies have gone on for so long."
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now to the report. The Royal Commission's Abuse and Care
Report has just been released and it makes for pretty
grim reading. It reveals the horrifying extent of abuse and
neglect of as many as two hundred thousand ki we
kids and young people between nineteen fifty and as recently
as twenty nineteen. Now the Commission has called this a
national disgrace. It's called on the government, the Pope and
(00:21):
the Archbishop of Canterbury to apologize for this. Newstorksb's political
report Damelza Jackson has been reading through the massive report.
High Demelza, Hello, okay, can you run us through some
of the findings?
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Well, it has taken almost six years to put together
the evidence and the recommendations of this report. Its significance
cannot be stressed enough. It takes into account the stories
of about two three hundred survivors and the final document
itself actually weighs some fourteen care los. What it tells
us is that between nineteen fifty and twenty nineteen, and
(00:52):
estimated two hundred thousand children, young people and vulnerable adults
suffered at the hands of the state and faith based institutions.
The very same people who were charged with their care.
That's out of six hundred and fifty five thousand people
in the system during that time. And the actual extent
of the abuse could be worse than we will ever
(01:14):
know because of how poorly these institutions kept their records
and failed to listen to the complaints which came out
across decades.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
All right, so, as far as we do know how
extensive was the abuse.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Well, this is unimaginable, widespread and severe physical, emotional, mental, sexual,
and medical abuse. Heather and the reports on words, what
we're talking about is a national disgrace. The stories involve
the sex trafficking of people in disability homes, the threat
of death through mock executions that wilderness retreats, and deaf
children being physically beaten for using sign language for patients
(01:52):
at the Kimberly Center ne Levin, the physical punishment was
so bad that the survivors have developed what they call
the Kimberly cringe, where they literally cower if they're approached
too quickly. That the consistency in the reports and in
the stories is really harrowing, and we know now that
for some it's unfortunately led them to being left in
(02:13):
unmarked graves outside of these institutions.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
Okay, the Prime Minister has described he's read some of it.
He reckons some of this abuse basically amounts to torture.
Is that what it read like?
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Absolutely? I mean on behalf of the government. Chris Luxon
has taken this major step of acknowledging that what happened
at the Lake Alice Child in Unit, Child and Adolescent
Unit amounts to torture. He said that children and young
people there were given electric shocks without pain relief and
these very painful Paralda Hyde injections, but not for medical reasons.
(02:44):
It was for punishment and control. I imagine this will
mean quite a lot to the survivors of Lake Alice
to finally have this acknowledge that what they went through
was torture, because they've been pushing for this for years,
and the Prime Minister went out of his way to
thank them for their determination and bringing their suffering to light.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Commissions put a financial cost on this abuse, hasn't it.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Yes, So the report highlights that because of the trauma,
so many people have really lost their right to enjoyment
in life, and so many of the survivors never really
had proper educations or employment opportunities, and then there's the
intergenerational harm to account for as well. All up, the
report estimates the total social cost is up to two
(03:27):
hundred and seventeen billion dollars for the country, and for
the survivors the lifetime cost of having been abused is
about eight hundred and fifty seven thousand dollars.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
I mean, almost as important as hearing what's happened is
knowing how to stop it. So what are the recommendations
so that this stuff doesn't happen again?
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Yeah, there's a staggering one hundred and thirty eight recommendations
and this report alone, and then there's ninety five separate
recommendations from an earlier report which is all about redress.
So the immediate call from what I'm reading is for
the government to put in place that redress system for survivors.
These conversations about payouts and apologies have just gone on
for so long that some people have actually died while
(04:11):
they have been waiting, So that will probably be the
first step. The government is also being told to set
up an independent agency which will take over the responsibility
of commissioning those care and protection and youth justice services.
This would essentially take away any power from Auditing Automatiqui,
(04:31):
which previously has been in control, and that would mean
the state really isn't looking after these children anymore. From
what I'm reading, it's basically the inquiry saying the buck
stops here.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
So we are talking about shutting down aud on Atomitici.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
I imagine that the Ministry for Children would still exist
in some way, but when it comes to deciding how
that care is given to these children, commissioning that care, yep,
they would have to take their hands off and have
that responsibility investment moved this independent agency.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Okay, Demelza, thank you. I really appreciate you going through
that for us. It's Develoge at Jackson News Talk zb's
political reporter.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to
News Talk ZEDB from four pm weekdays, or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio
Now to the report. The Royal Commission's Abuse and Care
Report has just been released and it makes for pretty
grim reading. It reveals the horrifying extent of abuse and
neglect of as many as two hundred thousand ki we
kids and young people between nineteen fifty and as recently
as twenty nineteen. Now the Commission has called this a
national disgrace. It's called on the government, the Pope and
(00:21):
the Archbishop of Canterbury to apologize for this. Newstorksb's political
report Damelza Jackson has been reading through the massive report.
High Demelza, Hello, okay, can you run us through some
of the findings?
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Well, it has taken almost six years to put together
the evidence and the recommendations of this report. Its significance
cannot be stressed enough. It takes into account the stories
of about two three hundred survivors and the final document
itself actually weighs some fourteen care los. What it tells
us is that between nineteen fifty and twenty nineteen, and
(00:52):
estimated two hundred thousand children, young people and vulnerable adults
suffered at the hands of the state and faith based institutions.
The very same people who were charged with their care.
That's out of six hundred and fifty five thousand people
in the system during that time. And the actual extent
of the abuse could be worse than we will ever
(01:14):
know because of how poorly these institutions kept their records
and failed to listen to the complaints which came out
across decades.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
All right, so, as far as we do know how
extensive was the abuse.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Well, this is unimaginable, widespread and severe physical, emotional, mental, sexual,
and medical abuse. Heather and the reports on words, what
we're talking about is a national disgrace. The stories involve
the sex trafficking of people in disability homes, the threat
of death through mock executions that wilderness retreats, and deaf
children being physically beaten for using sign language for patients
(01:52):
at the Kimberly Center ne Levin, the physical punishment was
so bad that the survivors have developed what they call
the Kimberly cringe, where they literally cower if they're approached
too quickly. That the consistency in the reports and in
the stories is really harrowing, and we know now that
for some it's unfortunately led them to being left in
(02:13):
unmarked graves outside of these institutions.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
Okay, the Prime Minister has described he's read some of it.
He reckons some of this abuse basically amounts to torture.
Is that what it read like?
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Absolutely? I mean on behalf of the government. Chris Luxon
has taken this major step of acknowledging that what happened
at the Lake Alice Child in Unit, Child and Adolescent
Unit amounts to torture. He said that children and young
people there were given electric shocks without pain relief and
these very painful Paralda Hyde injections, but not for medical reasons.
(02:44):
It was for punishment and control. I imagine this will
mean quite a lot to the survivors of Lake Alice
to finally have this acknowledge that what they went through
was torture, because they've been pushing for this for years,
and the Prime Minister went out of his way to
thank them for their determination and bringing their suffering to light.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Commissions put a financial cost on this abuse, hasn't it.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Yes, So the report highlights that because of the trauma,
so many people have really lost their right to enjoyment
in life, and so many of the survivors never really
had proper educations or employment opportunities, and then there's the
intergenerational harm to account for as well. All up, the
report estimates the total social cost is up to two
(03:27):
hundred and seventeen billion dollars for the country, and for
the survivors the lifetime cost of having been abused is
about eight hundred and fifty seven thousand dollars.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
I mean, almost as important as hearing what's happened is
knowing how to stop it. So what are the recommendations
so that this stuff doesn't happen again?
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Yeah, there's a staggering one hundred and thirty eight recommendations
and this report alone, and then there's ninety five separate
recommendations from an earlier report which is all about redress.
So the immediate call from what I'm reading is for
the government to put in place that redress system for survivors.
These conversations about payouts and apologies have just gone on
for so long that some people have actually died while
(04:11):
they have been waiting, So that will probably be the
first step. The government is also being told to set
up an independent agency which will take over the responsibility
of commissioning those care and protection and youth justice services.
This would essentially take away any power from Auditing Automatiqui,
(04:31):
which previously has been in control, and that would mean
the state really isn't looking after these children anymore. From
what I'm reading, it's basically the inquiry saying the buck
stops here.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
So we are talking about shutting down aud on Atomitici.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
I imagine that the Ministry for Children would still exist
in some way, but when it comes to deciding how
that care is given to these children, commissioning that care, yep,
they would have to take their hands off and have
that responsibility investment moved this independent agency.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Okay, Demelza, thank you. I really appreciate you going through
that for us. It's Develoge at Jackson News Talk zb's
political reporter.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to
News Talk ZEDB from four pm weekdays, or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio
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