Can I start by thanking the minister for those words. As has been noted, on 21 March 2013, 10 years ago yesterday, a monumental event took place in this building—a long-awaited apology that should never have had to be given in the first place. Ten years ago, just like today, we came together in this place to acknowledge a painful chapter in our nation’s history.

In 2013, the then Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, delivered the National Apology for Forced Adoptions on behalf of the nation to Australians. It was an acknowledgement of the lifelong pain and suffering associated with the forced adoption practices outlined by the minister. Light was shed at that time on the trauma inflicted by forced adoption and the child removal practices that predominantly took place between 1950 and 1975, although they began earlier.

I would like to take this opportunity to again acknowledge the victims, particularly each and every one of you in the gallery, the pain, the suffering and the grief, and to express my condolences on behalf of the coalition to the women, the children and the families who to this day are still victims of forced adoption practices. These forced adoption practices denied women and aspiring families their fundamental rights to be responsible for, to care for and to love their own children.

In 2014, on the first anniversary of the national apology, former Prime Minister Tony Abbott highlighted the important occasion just as we are today, saying:

For too long, too many had believed that they knew what was for the best for young unwed mothers and their babies. But the people who claimed it should have known better. If they had known better, terrible and avoidable pain that was inflicted on hundreds of thousands of people would have been avoided.

A mother’s love for their child should never have been compromised by intervention. The pure and unconditional bond between a child and a mother starts nine months before they’re brought into the world. It should never have been assumed that these women did not have the capability to raise their own children. The sheer shame and silence that surrounded pregnancy out of wedlock meant that these women were seen as unfit to enter motherhood.

We are 10 years on from the national apology and more than 70 years on from turning what should have been the most exciting experience of bringing new life into this world into something associated with pain and shame. Forced adoption practices impacted a significant number of Australians throughout the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s with, as the minister has said, an estimated 140,000 to 150,000 total adoptions in the period between 1951 and 1975 alone. There’s also been an estimated 250,000 total adoptions in the period from 1940 to the present day. The cruel nature of this practice meant mothers, fathers, adopted children and families were torn apart by coercion and physical force with many expectant mothers placed in homes before having their newborn babies taken away. These women were deprived of support, they were manipulated and they were denied knowledge of their rights, ultimately meaning they could not give informed consent for the resulting adoption.

We stand here to acknowledge not only the mothers and fathers but also those children who were removed from their biological families and adopted, many of whom are adults in this room today—those individuals who were told their mothers did not want them and who were betrayed by a system which meant they could not grow up with their families, understand their culture or connect with their true roots. We would also like to take the opportunity to acknowledge the many people impacted by forced adoption who are no longer with us today—they may have been with us 10 years ago, but not today—and who are not here to commemorate this, again, important occasion.

As has been noted, in 2010 a review by the Australian Institute of Family Studies revealed:

… the experience of past adoption practices has the potential—

and I would say the likelihood—

for lifelong consequences for the lives of both the woman and child, as well as others, such as the mother’s family, the father, and the adoptive parents and their families.

In November that same year, an inquiry into former forced adoption practices was referred by the Senate to the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs, as noted by the minister. The national apology for those affected by forced adoption practices came after the then Attorney-General, the Hon. Nicola Roxon, made the announcement on behalf of the government in June 2012. At that time, it was announced:

… the Senate inquiry and report confirmed the need for the Australian Government to acknowledge the suffering of parents and children involved—

and that the time had come to issue a formal apology. This came after the Senate Community Affairs References Committee released its report into the practices of forced adoption, which received harrowing submissions from individuals who had suffered from the effects of this practice and which found that there were many traumatic ways in which forced adoptions were ultimately put into practice.

So, on 19 December 2012, the Australian government announced that the formal apology would take place, as I said, on 21 March 2013, 10 years ago. As a nation, we accepted responsibility for the pain, the suffering, and the grief caused by forced adoption. Although we can’t rewrite history, we can make a conscious effort to acknowledge and support those impacted, apologise and be part of the vital healing process.

As we mark the 10th anniversary of the national apology, it’s good to see Australia has come a long way since forced adoption was imposed on young families. For the mothers and fathers who were able to track down lost children and for those who were able to enter parenthood again after this dark time: we acknowledge you again today. For the mothers and fathers still fighting to find a lost child and for the mothers and fathers who never had the chance to be reunited with their child or, tragically, to become a parent again: we sympathise with you and understand the word ‘sorry’ will never heal or make amends for the unimaginable trauma that you had to face. So, as a nation and as an opposition, we’re committed to supporting all those who were affected by this practice, and we continue to remember the lessons learned about family separation and focus on protecting and prioritising the right that every child has to be cared for and loved by their parents and, above all, to know them.

Please click here for a PDF copy of the Hansard extract for this speech.