Latest news with #redress
Irish Times
a day ago
- Irish Times
Thousands of child abuse records kept in storage costing €80,000 a year
Thousands of institutional child abuse records are sitting in a storage facility costing more than €80,000 a year, because of a failure to legislate to retain the records in the National Archives of Ireland . The documents include allegations of abuse from about 15,600 survivors of industrial and reformatory schools. All of the survivors are under a strict legal gagging order that means they cannot discuss details of their redress case, and it is understood that the overwhelming majority have never had access to their redress board transcripts. The State's independent advocate for survivors of institutional abuse has now called for all records relating to institutional abuse to be held in one place, where they would be accessible to survivors. The Residential Institutions Redress Board (RIRB), which has paid out almost €1 billion in redress since 2002, accepted its last application in 2011. But the largely wound down board is running under a skeleton staff because it remains responsible for managing the sensitive files. READ MORE The RIRB has spent more than €2.2 million in security and storage over the last 16 years, due to the sensitivity of the documents. The Government had said that if and when a body like the RIRB was dissolved, the records it held would legally need to be destroyed. This had been contested by academics and survivor advocacy groups. The RIRB was set up in 2002 to pay awards to those who suffered abuse as children in reformatory, industrial schools or other institutions that were regulated or inspected by the State. Survivors who were awarded redress lost the right to speak publicly about it. Under the legislation that set up the RIRB, it is a criminal offence to publish any information about a redress application or award, including details about the survivor, the alleged perpetrator and the institution. The RIRB records, which are understood to be highly sensitive, include allegations of serious abuse against named perpetrators and detailed medical and psychological reports of survivors. [ A simple question stopped Ireland in its tracks: why were so many children incarcerated? Opens in new window ] In 2019 the Government tried to pass a law that would place the records of the RIRB and other redress bodies under a seal for 75 years. The legislation was abandoned after a backlash from survivors, their advocates and the public. In 2022 the Government decided instead to set up a National Centre for Research and Remembrance for Ireland's many institutional abuse scandals. Martin Fraser, Ireland's ambassador to the UK, is leading a steering group tasked with setting up the centre, which will include an archive of records under the National Archive. In July 2022 Mr Fraser met the RIRB to discuss some of the legislative issues around retaining the records. In its annual report for 2022 the RIRB said it was working with Mr Fraser's steering group 'so as to allow for the early introduction of legislation providing for the retention of the board's records so that as many victims and survivors as possible will benefit from that legislation'. Three years on, there is no sign of the legislation. The Irish Times understands there have been legal complexities about drafting such a law for the files. A spokesman for the Department of Education said that 'while the original legislation provided for disposal of the records, it is now envisaged that new legislation will instead provide for the transfer of the records to the National Archives so that they can be preserved for posterity'. 'Work is ongoing on the complex and sensitive issues relating to the wide range of records which are relevant to the National Centre for Research and Remembrance, including those held by the RIRB,' the spokesman said. Since 2009 the RIRB has spent more than €2.2 million on security arrangements due to the sensitivity of the documents it is responsible for. In 2009-2014 the RIRB spent more than €1.58 million on 24-hour security – around a quarter of a million a year – for its Belfield Office Park in Dublin 4 due to the sensitive nature of the documents it held. In 2014, after it moved to a new office on St Stephen's Green, the RIRB's security expenses dropped due to the existing security arrangements at its new office. In 2015-2023 the RIRB spent more than €696,000 on secure off-site storage for the files. In 2023, the year for which the most recent data is available, the cost of secure off-site storage was more than €83,800. [ State accused of 'stonewalling' and 'hiding evidence' over Magdalene laundries Opens in new window ] Many survivors later complained they had found the RIRB to be 'adversarial' and felt as though they had been 'on trial'. Some were cross-examined during oral hearings by the religious congregations responsible for their alleged abuse. Patricia Carey, the Special Advocate for Survivors of Institutional Abuse, said she was 'aware of the trauma and upset caused to survivors through the evidence giving and evidence testing process of the Residential Institutions Redress Board'. 'There is a frustration from survivors of all institutions that their files are not being held and stored in one place, where they would be accessible,' Ms Carey said. Anyone who was awarded redress by the RIRB is entitled to a transcript of their testimony to the board. But it is understood that of the more than 15,000 survivors awarded redress, only a small minority have so far done so.
The Sun
5 days ago
- Automotive
- The Sun
Car finance compensation update as millions could be due back cash
THE Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has issued a major update in the car finance compensation scandal. In a statement today, it said it will confirm whether customers will get redress within six weeks of a Supreme Court decision. 1 Should a redress scheme go ahead, it could see those who bought a car, motorbike or van on finance before January 28, 2021 owed thousands of pounds. The compensation case affects specifically those who were overcharged when they took out a loan to buy a vehicle.
ABC News
27-05-2025
- General
- ABC News
Stolen Generations survivor Kath Ryan reflects on her life after WA redress scheme announced
More than 60 years ago, Stolen Generations survivor Kath Ryan was pulled screaming from her mother in Western Australia's Gascoyne region. WARNING: This story contains details that may be distressing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers. At just seven years old, she became one of thousands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in Australia taken from their families. Years later, her own daughter was taken from her. But in the years since, she has reconnected with her family, graduated university and is proud to be a grandparent. On Tuesday, the WA government announced Stolen Generations survivors would be eligible for payments of up to $85,000 as part of a landmark redress scheme. It leaves just Queensland as the only state or territory without a compensation scheme for survivors. Ms Ryan, a 72-year-old Yinggarda elder, was at the steps of WA's Parliament House when the announcement was made. "It's wonderful. I cried when [Noongar traditional custodian] Jim Morrison told us," she said. Ms Ryan was born in Carnarvon in 1953, her skin much lighter than her single mother's. It put authorities on alert, with Ms Ryan's hardworking mother always on the move to evade welfare officials. When they eventually caught up to her, she was powerless to act when a seven-year-old Ms Ryan was shoved into a paddy wagon and taken away. "I was screaming and kicking and stuff like that. I saw my mum walking off and she didn't look back," she said. "The penalty was back in the day if you kicked up and carried on, you would be thrown in jail." Ms Ryan was placed in a Church of Christ mission in Carnarvon, where she spent her days carrying out domestic tasks and looking after the younger children. When she was about 12 years old, she was sent to live with a family in the affluent Perth suburb of Cottesloe. She said the prospect of going to a big city was exciting, and she went to a private school where she worked hard. But she felt keenly the absence of her family and other children who looked like her. During this time, she fell pregnant and was sent to a home for women and babies. But as soon as her daughter was born, she was taken from Ms Ryan. "I had no choice in the matter," she said. Ms Ryan went on to have six other children, whom she vowed to keep close. "No way was I going to let those other six go," she said. Ms Ryan returned to Carnarvon in her 20s but received a shock when she was ostracised by her family. "It's sort of like … as we say in our language, 'you've been living with Wadjela people, you've got to live that life now'," she said. But she persisted in rebuilding a relationship with her mother, whom she only spent a combined nine years with before her death in her 90s. As well as taking away precious time with her family, her experience as a Stolen Generations survivor also made Ms Ryan doubt her intellectual abilities. It was not until a friend convinced her otherwise when she was in her mid-30s that she pursued a university education, graduating with a degree in community health. Her granddaughter is now following in her footsteps and is pursuing a law degree. "It makes me so proud," she said. Now retired, Ms Ryan enjoys spending time with her grandchildren and other Stolen Generations survivors. But she said she feels deeply the loss of other survivors who died before the announcement of redress this week. "It was great to hear it, but a great sadness as well, because the Aboriginal people don't have a good life span. I'm fortunate, I never in my wildest dreams thought I'd reach 60, let alone 72," she said. "For the unfortunate ones that have passed … it's a little bit too late." For some time, Ms Ryan wanted to keep her story close out of feelings of shame. But she said the time for silence had long passed. "People need to know that these things happened," she said. "With this truth-telling and stuff like that, hopefully we'll make a lot of people realise these things are true, they're not just made up." The state government estimates there to be between 2,500 and 3,000 survivors of the Stolen Generations in WA. Registrations for the redress scheme are expected to open later this year, with payments to follow towards the end of the year.
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Stolen generation survivors to receive $85,000 payments as part of reconciliation efforts in Western Australia
The Western Australian government has announced a redress scheme for members of the Stolen Generations, after years of campaigning by survivors and their family members. Aboriginal people who were forcibly removed from their families in WA before 1972 will be eligible for individual payments of up to $85,000 under the scheme, in what the premier, Roger Cook, said was 'a major step in the pursuit of reconciliation and healing'. The announcement follows National Sorry Day on Monday, which marks the anniversary of the tabling of the Bringing Them Home report to parliament in 1997. Redress for survivors was one of more than 50 recommendations in this landmark report. Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families and communities under accepted government policies during a period spanning from the 1910s until the 1970s. The announcement by Cook on Tuesday leaves Queensland as the only jurisdiction without a redress scheme. 'The WA Government has long acknowledged the historical injustices and their ongoing impact on the Stolen Generations, their families, and communities,' Cook said. The state government said it would also work with Aboriginal organisations to support communications, the rollout of the scheme and planning for additional measures to assist the healing for survivors. The WA attorney general, Tony Buti, said the announcement of redress is a recognition of the wrongs of the past. 'It marks a significant step in recognising members of Western Australia's Stolen Generations by providing reparations for surviving members,' he said. 'We hope this support can contribute to healing for those impacted.' WA's scheme is expected to open for registration in late 2025. The Healing Foundation, which represents members of the Stolen Generations, this week called for a national funding package to provide equitable redress and access to personal records to allow survivors to learn their stories. Prof Steve Larkin, the chair of the foundation, said ageing Stolen Generations members were running out of time. 'Many survivors have already passed away, without seeing justice for themselves or their families,' he said.'Even the youngest survivors are ageing now, with most eligible for aged care. Yet they are facing a system that can re-trigger the trauma of being placed in an institution as a child.' Larkin has called for a guarantee of at least five years of operational funding for organisations that support Stolen Generations members, including the Healing Foundation.
ABC News
27-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Advocates welcome WA's Stolen Generation redress scheme
CEO of the Healing Foundation Shannan Dodson has welcomed the WA Premier's announcement of a redress scheme for the state's survivors of the Stolen Generation.
