What We Have Called For

The Committee for Origins Incorporated has called for this inquiry into adoption practices. However, while we believe that no mother has ever been provided with her legal and human rights in relation to her adoption experience, we do not profess to speak on behalf of every mother with regard to their requirement for justice and for personal healing.

There will be some for whom a sincere apology and acknowledgement of past practices will be sufficient. Others will find relief to know their children are made aware of the separation practices from their mothers, and others for whom that will not suffice and who may wish to take action through the Supreme Courts, while some may wish to take up their right to lay charges under the Crimes Act bypassing the statute of Limitations, and others wishing to overturn their child's adoption based on improper consent.

We therefore request that all avenues be made available for discussion with the Origins Committee along with discussion leading to the implementation of the following requirements:

1. Arrange to provide regular seminars and workshops accredited by the Department of Community Services and The Health Department to educate and inform all mental health workers of the nature of emotional implications resulting from the mothers experience.

2. Provision of weekend, weeklong and monthly de-programming, trauma recovery, research, and respite centres made available for those in need of indepth recovery where required.

3. Provide state-wide financial and material support to enable the development of self help organisations in city, regional and outer lying areas around the state.

4. A review into, and improvement of all counselling procedures.

5. A statewide/national campaign to remove the stigma put on mothers who surrendered children to adoption in the past, including the removal of the stigma inflicted upon our children in having been classified as unwanted children.

6. A full National Judicial Inquiry into adoption practices.

   And/Or

7. A Statewide Criminal Investigation under the New South Wales Crimes Act 1900 - Kidnapping clauses.

8. Overturn the Statute of Limitations.

9. A full and sincere apology to all mothers and children who have been separated by adoption from the Australian Association of Social Workers, charitable organisations, licenced adoption agencies, the medical profession, the Nursing Association, the Department of Community Services, and the N.S.W. Health Department.

10. Reparation.

11. The reinstatement of all original Birth Certificates.

12. Full disclosure of the truth regarding adoption practices as an Act of Parliament to begin the official rewriting of adoption history.

13. To have the separation of mother and child at birth officially recognised as a severe trauma to both.

14. Full research and disclosure into adoption consequences, including:

    (a) Suicide rates in adopted children and mothers.
    (b) Mental Health implications in both mothers and children.

15. Disclaimer stickers posted on all past historical adoption literature and case work studies, found in state libraries which depict improper adoption facts based on the promotion of adoption myth.

16. The de-registration of all adoption agency and agent licences for non-compliance with the terms and conditions of their professional licence issued by the Department of Community Services, for their failure to comply with the terms of the Child Welfare Act 17, the Adoption of Children Act 1965, failing to comply with their own regulations, failing to apply a professional standard of duty of care as a professional adoption service to the community.

17. Accountability in the failure of the relevant Director Generals of the Child Welfare Departments (and its alternative and subsequent names), to police the goings on of its own Department and licenced private adoption agencies as licencing regulations dictate.

This page is now history and has been left here for general interest as the enquiry is over. It was an epic event. It was big, it was long and a lot of people contributed to it with some fair measure of success, but the fight goes on. (Ed)