TRANSCRIPT:
I am pleased to rise today to talk on the take-note motion for the Victorians who experienced historical abuse and neglect as children in institutional care. First and foremost, I want to express my deepest apologies and condolences to those who suffered at the hands of this state. The stories shared with us are truly horrific, and I wish anyone that suffered my sincere support as they continue the difficult process of recovering and healing from this trauma.
While expressing this apology, I want to acknowledge that an apology is just an initial step towards making genuine and meaningful change to our systems and for the people who suffered and continue to suffer within them. Proper change within our state-run services must be achieved to ensure the vicious cycles of foster care, abuse and a lack of opportunity are no longer allowed to continue.
I have been having regular conversations with a constituent of mine named Crystal Challender, someone who is incredibly resilient and one of the strongest, most determined mothers I have had the privilege to meet in this role. Crystal has courageously asked me to share her story today. Crystal is a single mother to Leroy, nine, and Shaleigh, seven, residing in Benalla. They have been on the priority housing waitlist for 12 months, requesting relocation within Benalla to non-condensed government housing.
I raised this concern with the Minister for Housing and on 3 November spoke with the minister’s chief of staff in an attempt to urgently resolve Crystal’s housing situation. In October her son Leroy witnessed a teenage neighbour fatally assault a resident in the housing area on Ballintine Street, Benalla. Meanwhile these teenage perpetrators have been acquitted and still reside in the housing area.
Crystal, along with her sisters, have been in state care at times and have been working so incredibly hard to not repeat history. On the day of the apology Crystal Challender, whose mother was a ward of the state, received a call from the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing regarding the future custody of her children. They had spent two weeks with their father because Crystal, bravely, voluntarily admitted herself into hospital due to mental health challenges. The housing insecurity is becoming overwhelming for her. Today she told me:
I would never have had children if I had known that I would be fighting the government to survive as their mother.
My mum went through this in care, and my fear is, I will be in the same position trying to defend my grandchildren.
When they talk about generational trauma and poverty, they just need to look at me.
I may have fallen through the cracks, but every day it feels like this government is holding me there.
I don’t know how to break the cycle if I don’t have a safe place for my kids to live.
Her son Leroy has been awaiting an appointment with the school psychologist since experiencing PTSD from witnessing the fatal incident. He has been redirected to Gateway Health. On 1 December he was then referred to Victims of Crime, but they have not been able to reach anyone. Crystal is currently seeing someone at one of the new local mental health set-ups in Benalla, but her son is only nine years old, so he is ineligible for financially supported mental health care. Crystal says:
I want to change this history for my children.
Acknowledging the serious crimes, abuse and institutional failures of our state is critical, and I hope that it does provide some respite to those who suffered at the state’s institutions.
After reading the reports from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse into the locations of this abuse it was harrowing to hear survivors talk about the fears that came with living in these facilities, particularly those located regionally. A fear of disappearing was held by children living in isolated regional and remote residential institutions as they regularly witnessed other children, pregnant women and more taken away, often never to be seen again.
Unfortunately, this story, Crystal’s story, is a testament to the ongoing issues within our state-run services and the significant amount of work that is still required. There are so many stories just like this one right across our state. I look forward to seeing more work being done in the near future to ensure that our apologies are more than just talk.