Leoni McInroe: Lake Alice survivor on official apology for abuse in state care and calls for Solicitor General to step down

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today issued an official apology to everyone who was abused in state and faith-based care. 

Luxon said the current system for paying redress to survivors is not good enough and announced $32 million of new funding to sort this out. 

Seven other public sector leaders have also apologised for their departments’ role in abuse, including Solicitor General Una Jagose. 

The crowd met her address with jeers, pushback, tears and booing. 

Leoni McInroe is a Lake Alice survivor and attended the apology today. McInroe tells Heather du Plessis-Allan Jagose has been an active part of denying and dismissing survivors stories and should step down. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Afternoon. It's been a big day for the survivors of
abuse in state and faith based care. The government has
finally officially apologized for the horrific abuse that they suffered,
but a lot of today's attention has been on the
solicitor to Solicitor General Uner Jegosi, who also apologized but
was booed and heckled by survivors so they want to
strip from her job. Leonly McEnroe is a Lake Alice

(00:20):
survivor who attended the apology today. Haleone sura, how do
you feel about that apology?

Speaker 2 (00:26):
Then? Well, I think for many people, I would hope
that for many people components of it it helps towards
healing and the closing of this end of the journey.

(00:49):
There are some that were really unhappy, and I guess
at the end of the day, as the Prime Minister says,
weren't are important, but their need to be accountability in
redress and the fact that that was not actually in
alignment with today's apology in words, is really disappointing.

Speaker 1 (01:14):
Who did you go see the Solicitor General was arguably
the one who cop the most heat today. Why the
strength of thread towards her?

Speaker 2 (01:22):
Oh, it's an appropriate that she retains her position as
the highest example of law in the country. She has
actively been a part of denying, dismissing survivors claims. She

(01:48):
has fought vigorously. She is the bully of Crown law
in the way that she has behaved towards survivors. She
has not handed over documents as the Flicitor General and
the police required them. Could have seen doctor Leek's charged earlier,

(02:14):
but when asked can't sort of understand the reasons why
that was never done and in fact laid the responsibility
at a junior Crown lawyer's seat. You know, she's completely inappropriate.
She needs to stand down. She has caused so much

(02:39):
continued harm and former by the way that she has
specifically been involved in survivors claims. Yeah, you know, we
had laid a complaint against her for under the Climes
of Torture Act, obstruction of justice and access three after

(03:01):
the fact. And why she felt that or anyone felt
it was appropriate for her, with her legacy of betrayal
to survivors in a very legal, aggressive legal way, to
stand in front of survivors and try and speak is

(03:24):
the stupidest pr stunt I've ever seen. It was the
sense that she was.

Speaker 1 (03:30):
There all right, Leoni, thank you very much, really appreciate
its Leonie McEnroe, who's a Lake Alie survivor.

Speaker 2 (03:35):
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