A simple tale:
"Abuse was not a failure of the system,
Abuse was the system "Fr. Kevin Hegerty, Ierland.
It comes five years after a Senate inquiry 
recommended the federal government apologise for widespread failures in the care system.
The inquiry found half a million children suffered from a 'litany of emotional, physical and sexual abuse, and often criminal physical and sexual assault', while lack of food, education and health care was widespread.
orphanages, children's and foster homes in New South Wales with many suffering abuse and mistreatment."To not know who you are, where you came from and still, at 50-odd, not to know who your brothers and sisters are, its a pretty terrible sort of situation to end up in," she said.
"To be there and to hear it, personally to hear it from the state I grew up in, is really meaningful and very emotional for me."
The Community Services Minister, Linda Burney, says a $9 million funding boost will help people access personal information and dedicated counselling.
"Part of the apology is the recognition that this was a pretty unpleasant experience for many people - it's part of our history," she said.
"There'll also be a lot of work done around providing case work for people that really have struggled with their experience."
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will deliver a national apology before the end of the year.
MATTHEW BENNS
September 20, 2009 .
HUNDREDS of Australia's ''forgotten children'' gathered for an emotional apology and memorial unveiling ceremony at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney yesterday.
Now adults, the survivors of children's homes, orphanages, foster homes and institutions wept openly as Premier Nathan Rees apologised for the hurt and distress they suffered in the care of the state.
''This should never have happened,'' said the Premier, before unveiling a monument to ''the lonely, the frightened, the lost, the abused - those who never knew the joy of a loving family''.
''Today will be an important marker in the lives of many people who have lived with sad and dark memories of their childhoods. I hope the apology will help us all move forward,'' he added before announcing a $9 million increase in funding for counselling and support for care givers.
Dr Joanna Penglase, co-founder of the Care Leavers Australia Network, said: ''There is a great deal of pain here today and a great deal of release and relief because acknowledgement is what we have sought for so long. We know what happened to us but no one would hear us or believe us; people didn't believe it could have happened.''
More than 200,000 children were taken into care in NSW in the last century, many suffering physical and sexual abuse after being separated from their families. Those gathered in the sunshine yesterday bowed their heads as former Dalmar Children's Home resident Pamella Vernon said: ''It wasn't our fault, we are not to blame.''
Former Parramatta Girls Home resident Bonney Djuric said: ''It's been a long time coming but it is an acknowledgement that we existed.'' But the apology was not enough for some of the care givers. Wendy Patton, wearing a ''Retribution Now'' T-shirt, was stopped when she tried to interrupt the Premier's speech.
''It's not enough,'' she said. ''I don't think Nathan Rees delivered that speech with true heartfelt sincerity.''
Carer abuse of disabled on the rise
LISA CARTY NSW POLITICAL EDITOR
September 20, 2009 .
DISABLED people are being assaulted, neglected or mistreated by State Government employees in greater numbers but formal investigations into complaints have fallen.
The Opposition has seized on new figures revealed during last week's budget estimates grilling of Disability Services Minister Paul Lynch to charge the Government with doing too little to guarantee the safety of vulnerable people in its care.
Mr Lynch told an upper house committee examining his department's performance that 353 allegations had been made in 2008-09 (compared with 331 the previous year), of which 47 had been investigated (compared with 55).
Eight complaints had been proved, and he expected the figure to climb to about 20 when the other investigations were finalised.
One staffer had been dismissed, the committee was told.
Opposition disability spokesman Andrew Constance said the figures were alarming. There was almost one complaint made a day, yet one was too many, he said.
''An urgent overhaul of the investigations process is required given the difficulties people with a disability face with the current internal reporting system,'' he said.
''We must examine ways to improve the system so hard-working employees doing the right thing are not tarnished by those who aren't.
''The bottom line is children and people with disabilities must have appropriate safeguards in place.''
Mr Lynch said the department ''went out of its way'' to ensure complaints were reported: ''People with a disability are among the most vulnerable in our society - that's why we strongly encourage people to bring forward any allegations.
''The vast majority of our 13,500 [care] workers perform their duties with great empathy. The minority [who] betray that trust can [be] and are dismissed and face the full force of the law.''
Most complaints were investigated by department staff and police were called in for serious allegations, Mr Lynch said.
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