THE HON MARK DREYFUS QC MP
Attorney-General
Minister for Emergency Management
MEDIA RELEASE
FORCED ADOPTION APOLOGY DETAILS RELEASED
On 21 March 2013, the Prime Minister, the Hon Julia Gillard MP, will deliver a national apology, on behalf of the Australian Government to people affected by forced adoption or removal policies and practices.
The event will commence at 10:30am with formal proceedings commencing at 11am in the Great Hall of Parliament House, Canberra. The apology will be followed by a lunch from 12:30pm on the Federation Mall lawns of Parliament House.
The national apology is a public event and will be open to all. Seating will be available for approximately 800 people in the Great Hall, with additional standing room. Due to the large number of people expected to attend the apology, seating in the Great Hall will not be pre-allocated. There will also be other vantage points within Parliament House for people to view the apology on broadcast screens.
The motion of apology will be moved in the House of Representatives and the Senate following the event in the Great Hall.
The apology will be offered as a significant step in the healing process for the mothers, fathers, and now-adult children who were forcibly separated, siblings and extended family members.
The Australian Government has provided $120,000 to support organisations to assist people affected by forced adoption practices to attend the national apology in Canberra. Information can be found on the forced adoptions apology page of the Attorney-Generals Department website at www.ag.gov.au/forcedadoptionsapologyor by calling 02 6141 3030.
People attending the apology are invited to RSVP for catering purposes. Please RSVP by emailing [email protected] or calling 02 6141 3030.
For those who cannot attend arrangements are being made for the event to be filmed and a live feed made available to broadcasters. Proceedings will also be streamed live from the Parliament House Website at www.aph.gov.au/live
FRIDAY, 22 FEBRUARY 2013
