Ballarat’s survivor community remains divided on Monday’s national apology to victims and survivors of institutional child sexual abuse, but agrees it is actions not words that really count.
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Prime Minister Scott Morrison will deliver the national apology at Parliament House in Canberra in front of a room full of survivors, invited through a ballot, and representatives from support organisations.
It will also be broadcast live across Australia.
Watch it here.
While some Ballarat survivors protest against the apology, others will watch on in Canberra or locally hoping to find some closure.
Ballarat lawyer and sexual abuse victim Ingrid Irwin took part in community consultations on what the apology should look like and is travelling to Canberra to attend the historic event.
She said the meaning and significance of the occasion came down to the individual and that those for or against were respectful of each other’s beliefs.
“It’s what you make it and I still think symbolically it’s important,” she said.
“I am going to take that apology personally, I am going to listen to it and hear that sorry for me.”
While she welcomed the apology, Ms Irwin said she would still be watching and listening very critically.
“After all those community consultations there really is no excuse to get it wrong,” she said.
“I will not be accepting anything less than a really solid apology that has been thought through, it’s the least they can do for survivors.
“It is a moment in history, it is really important. But again it will be the actions that follow, because I still think there is a huge shame and a huge family rejection of survivors.”
While Ms Irwin said she was chuffed to receive the invitation, she firmly believed every survivor should have been offered a seat even if it meant changing the location.
“There is no need to have had a limit at all,” she said.
“You can’t have people that have devoted their lives and been in the spotlight and carried the flame all this time and they’re not included.
“Include everybody who has invested in the royal commission and parliamentary inquiry, and have a ballot for the others (such as support workers) thereafter.”
Ballarat’s Mercure Hotel and Convention Centre will be one of four of the Victorian government’s official viewing locations for survivors and supporters. The live broadcast commences at 11am.
Pilgrimage in support of abuse victims and apology
People from all walks of life gathered together at St Patrick’s College’s healing garden on Saturday with a single aim, to show support towards the victims and survivors of child sexual abuse.
A group called For the Innocence organised the pilgrimage into town, which started with a ceremony at the healing garden and ended with the tying of ribbons at St Patrick’s Cathedral.
The event was held in the lead up to Monday’s national apology to be delivered by Prime Minister Scott Morrison at Parliament House.
Michael Parer, a former parish priest of Gordon, Millbrook, Springbank, Mount Egerton and Ballan, organised the event with the intention of endorsing the apology, but highlighting what more needed to be done.
He said this included making changes to an inadequate redress scheme and having a symbol such as a healing garden in the nation’s capital.
“We are here to seek forgiveness of those who have been abused in the name of our church and in the name of the silence of so many church managers and leaders,” Professor Parer said.
“We have come from Sale, which had 15.1 per cent abuse, the highest in the country, and we’ve come here to Ballarat because this is the epicentre and the number of suicides is terrible.”
Child abuse survivor Mairead Ashcroft took part in the pilgrimage after having joined For The Innocence for support on her own journey.
She was one of the survivors who did receive an apology from her abuser in the form a letter while he was living in the United States.
She said keeping that piece of documentation played a key part in his jail sentence.
St Patrick’s College principal John Crowley addressed the group during the ceremony, reflecting on the school’s own journey from the start of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
He emphasised the importance of developing relationships of trust and integrity with the school’s former students who were victims of abuse.
This included providing ongoing support and a pastoral care, which had not been appropriately addressed in the redress scheme.
To contact CASA call 5320 3933 or free call 24 hours 1800 806 292. Lifeline can be accessed on 13 11 14.
