National Redress Scheme

Still no federal support for key WA agency

Survivors of institutional abuse are outraged by the Federal Government’s refusal to pay for work carried out by a key service in WA supporting people engaging with the National Redress Scheme.

As WA’s longest-standing service for abuse survivors, Tuart Place has been swamped with requests for assistance with the new scheme. Many of those seeking help are former clients who were supported during earlier schemes such as Redress WA and Towards Healing, with documentation dating back as far as the late 1990s.

Survivors are wanting access to important evidence and historical documents held by the agency, from staff with whom they have developed solid relationships and trust.

Tuart Place Director Dr Philippa White said that the Federal Government’s response to this issue is “the opposite of trauma-informed”.

“The last thing survivors need is to be forced to re-tell their personal account of abuse to strangers at an unfamiliar agency”, she said.

Dr White said that Tuart Place has no choice but to continue the battle for appropriate funding of its work, and that survivors seeking help from the agency would never be

turned away.

Mr Dale Lynch, Vice Chairperson of Forgotten Australians Coming Together (FACT) and a survivor of institutional abuse, says he is appalled at the Government’s refusal to fund the highly-skilled agency, which has an award winning model of service delivery, and is governed by a survivor-led Board of Governance.

“It is outrageous that the Department of Social Services continues to insist that it knows what’s best for us. It’s treating us in the same way we were treated as children”. Mr Lynch said the Government’s failure to fund the agency’s work is also contrary to the Royal Commission’s recommendations and urges survivors to contact their local Federal Member to complain.

Contact Tuart Place at admin@tuartplace.org, or Dale Lynch on 0447-567-724 or dale.lynch8@bigpond.com if you would like to support Tuart Place’s appeal for appropriate federal funding.

National Redress Scheme: A warning to Fairbridge ex-residents

Derek Smith, Vice-President of the Old Fairbridgians Association (WA), would like to warn ex-residents that Kingsley Fairbridge Farm School (KFFS) has not been declared a ‘Defunct institution’, and that people applying to the National Redress Scheme are simply being told that “Fairbridge hasn’t opted in yet”.

Derek says this is hardly surprising, given that the institution ceased to exist in 1981.

Fairbridge survivors are being told that they can either accept a reduced redress payment, or put their application on hold ‘until Fairbridge opts in’ (mission impossible for a Defunct institution).

Derek and OFA President Richard Hinch, who are championing this cause on behalf of their members, say that KFFS is a textbook case of a Defunct institution, and that ‘Funder of last resort’ provisions should already be in place.

“Fairbridge ex-residents are receiving confusing letters and phone calls from the NRS and are being given the wrong information. I’m concerned that some people might think they have to accept a reduced payment. Once they accept an offer, it’s case closed – you don’t get a second chance”, Derek said.

OFA President Richard Hinch has raised this issue with the WA Premier and is awaiting a response. Tuart Place is also seeking to have Fairbridge declared Defunct, and a Funder of last resort identified, so that full redress payments can be made to applicants as soon as possible.

Tuart Place counsellor Sarah Regan said it was deeply distressing for survivors to have their NRS applications treated in this way.

“We have been given no time frame for action on this matter, and our only avenue of appeal is to email the DSS complaints department, which we have done. We are waiting for a response”, Sarah said.

Sarah points out that, in addition to a wealth of documented evidence, the Federal Government’s ‘Find & Connect’ website https://www.findandconnect.gov. au/guide/wa/WE00072 clearly demonstrates that there was no legacy institution for Fairbridge Farm School when it closed in 1981.

The Fairbridge site was purchased by Alcoa in 1983, and was leased in 1989 to Fairbridge WA Inc, which offers tourist accommodation and activities. In 2011, the records of the former KFFS were transferred to the UK Prince’s Trust, which accepted them as an act of benevolence, for the purpose of facilitating ex-residents’ access to historic records.

For further information, contact Derek or Richard at fairbridgewa@gmail.com OFA Vice President Derek Smith