http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,8956454%5E24218,
00.html

Betrayed once more

14mar04

IN 1999, before the Kennett Government was defeated at the polls, Labor MP
Christine Campbell vowed to expose the cruelty behind the forced adoption of
babies in Victoria.

She promised to crusade on behalf of unwed mothers whose babies had been taken
at birth stolen is a better description.
But Ms Campbell failed the women whose hopes she had built up in an election
year.

Though in a position to deliver on her promise when she became Minister for
Community Services in the Bracks Government, there is nothing on the record to
suggest she fought hard to pierce the cover-up she had earlier blamed on the
Kennett Government.

The inquiry into adoption practices from the 1950s to the 1970s, the one she
had championed, the one she had heralded as certain to go ahead when she had
the power of office, was abandoned.

In the view of a group of women forced to give up their babies, she betrayed
thousands of single mothers whose rights were trampled by welfare authorities
when they were at their most vulnerable.

Most never saw their babies.

Some were told their babies had died, only to find out later they had been
adopted out.

In due course, Ms Campbell was found wanting as a minister in a scandal over
substance abuse involving children in institutional care. She was demoted. But
the shame of her broken promise hangs over the Bracks Government and the fight
continues, the mothers refusing to forgive and forget.

The Sunday Herald Sun raised the issue in 1999 and has visited it several
times, most recently last week, when a lobby group made some progress in its
quest for documents that might shed light on a dishonoured election promise.

Thousands of unwed mothers are enduring a lifetime of grief because their
children were forcibly removed -- this was the view of Ms Campbell when she
supported an inquiry.

Many mothers suffer still, most denied records that would enable them to trace
their sons and daughters, many of the adopted children equally frustrated in
their search for their natural mothers, as if they have no right to their
genetic history.

As Ms Campbell's failure is also the Government's failure, it has a moral
obligation to act or at least explain. It is never too late to make amends for
a broken promise, but the clock is ticking.



-------------------------
A good friend will come and bail you out of jail . . . but, a true friend will
be sitting next to you saying, "Damn . . . that was fun!"
-----Unknown

LilMtnCbn quotes newspaper article:
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,8956454%5E24218, 00.html Betrayed once more

snip article...except for:
...It is never too late to make amends for a broken promise,but the clock is ticking.

And that clock will tick until that last birth mother betrayed
is dead and buried. Or, any other who has felt the harsh lash of
betrayal where trust was innocently placed...there are many clocks
ticking down -- too many.

pb...

....who has had a very close relationship with betrayal of several
stripes.

"pb..." <woodlark-99@newsguy.com> wrote in message news:<c38vrr02if9@enews2.newsguy.com>... LilMtnCbn quotes newspaper article: http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,8956454%5E24218, 00.html Betrayed once more snip article...except for:...It is never too late to make amends for a broken promise,but the clock is ticking. And that clock will tick until that last birth mother betrayed is dead and buried. Or, any other who has felt the harsh lash of betrayal where trust was innocently placed...there are many clocks ticking down -- too many. pb... ...who has had a very close relationship with betrayal of several stripes.

A glimmer of hope, PB. They have employed the services of one of the
largest legal firms in the country (who took them on free of charge as
a public interest issue) and have won their first round in fighting
the privacy laws that prohibited them from gaining possession of the
behind th scenes paper trail to establish who has been working behind
the scenes to
quash their inquiry - and their motives behind such actions. Now they
know. It's big stuff. Christine Campbell was not the culprit. She was
the scape goat and lost her position as Minister for Health and
Community Service on a trumped up set up, because she supported the
inquiry. Just as she publicly supported the NSW inquiry back in 97/98,
she supported her own States inquiry into the same issues. It cost her
her job.

Di

In article <9a095db9.0403171350.46b2d9cb@posting.google.com>, Dian says..."pb..." <woodlark-99@newsguy.com> wrote in messagenews:<c38vrr02if9@enews2.newsguy.com>... LilMtnCbn quotes newspaper article: http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,8956454%5E24218, 00.html Betrayed once more snip article...except for:...It is never too late to make amends for a broken promise,but the clock is ticking. And that clock will tick until that last birth mother betrayed is dead and buried. Or, any other who has felt the harsh lash of betrayal where trust was innocently placed...there are many clocks ticking down -- too many. pb... ...who has had a very close relationship with betrayal of several stripes.A glimmer of hope, PB. They have employed the services of one of thelargest legal firms in the country (who took them on free of charge asa public interest issue) and have won their first round in fightingthe privacy laws that prohibited them from gaining possession of thebehind th scenes paper trail to establish who has been working behindthe scenes toquash their inquiry - and their motives behind such actions. Now theyknow. It's big stuff. Christine Campbell was not the culprit. She wasthe scape goat and lost her position as Minister for Health andCommunity Service on a trumped up set up, because she supported theinquiry. Just as she publicly supported the NSW inquiry back in 97/98,she supported her own States inquiry into the same issues. It cost herher job.Di


Good news! As a truly wise (and rare) politician once told me, "Those
wheels of gov't grind slowly, but they do grind -- as long as someone
keeps up with the whips and chains!" ;-)


pb...

woodlark-99@newsguy.com wrote in message news:<c3bsp90109f@drn.newsguy.com>... In article <9a095db9.0403171350.46b2d9cb@posting.google.com>, Dian says..."pb..." <woodlark-99@newsguy.com> wrote in messagenews:<c38vrr02if9@enews2.newsguy.com>... LilMtnCbn quotes newspaper article: > http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,8956454%5E24218, > 00.html > > Betrayed once more snip article...except for: >...It is never too late to make amends for a broken promise, >but the clock is ticking. And that clock will tick until that last birth mother betrayed is dead and buried. Or, any other who has felt the harsh lash of betrayal where trust was innocently placed...there are many clocks ticking down -- too many. pb... ...who has had a very close relationship with betrayal of several stripes.A glimmer of hope, PB. They have employed the services of one of thelargest legal firms in the country (who took them on free of charge asa public interest issue) and have won their first round in fightingthe privacy laws that prohibited them from gaining possession of thebehind th scenes paper trail to establish who has been working behindthe scenes toquash their inquiry - and their motives behind such actions. Now theyknow. It's big stuff. Christine Campbell was not the culprit. She wasthe scape goat and lost her position as Minister for Health andCommunity Service on a trumped up set up, because she supported theinquiry. Just as she publicly supported the NSW inquiry back in 97/98,she supported her own States inquiry into the same issues. It cost herher job.Di Good news! As a truly wise (and rare) politician once told me, "Those wheels of gov't grind slowly, but they do grind -- as long as someone keeps up with the whips and chains!" ;-) pb...


Oh, my! Whips and chains would clash with my conservative business
suit and sensible shoes. They aren't exactly Evan Picone. Whatever
shall I do?


Laura

woodlark-99@newsguy.com wrote in message news:<c3bsp90109f@drn.newsguy.com>... In article <9a095db9.0403171350.46b2d9cb@posting.google.com>, Dian says..."pb..." <woodlark-99@newsguy.com> wrote in messagenews:<c38vrr02if9@enews2.newsguy.com>... LilMtnCbn quotes newspaper article: > http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,8956454%5E24218, > 00.html > > Betrayed once more snip article...except for: >...It is never too late to make amends for a broken promise, >but the clock is ticking. And that clock will tick until that last birth mother betrayed is dead and buried. Or, any other who has felt the harsh lash of betrayal where trust was innocently placed...there are many clocks ticking down -- too many. pb... ...who has had a very close relationship with betrayal of several stripes.A glimmer of hope, PB. They have employed the services of one of thelargest legal firms in the country (who took them on free of charge asa public interest issue) and have won their first round in fightingthe privacy laws that prohibited them from gaining possession of thebehind th scenes paper trail to establish who has been working behindthe scenes toquash their inquiry - and their motives behind such actions. Now theyknow. It's big stuff. Christine Campbell was not the culprit. She wasthe scape goat and lost her position as Minister for Health andCommunity Service on a trumped up set up, because she supported theinquiry. Just as she publicly supported the NSW inquiry back in 97/98,she supported her own States inquiry into the same issues. It cost herher job.Di Good news! As a truly wise (and rare) politician once told me, "Those wheels of gov't grind slowly, but they do grind -- as long as someone keeps up with the whips and chains!" ;-) pb...

All true. Hoping people burn out by using delay tactics is a ploy
used by Govts to avoid responsibility for its past actions. Too often
it works.

Di

Laura Lewis wrote: woodlark-99@newsguy.com wrote in message news:<c3bsp90109f@drn.newsguy.com>...In article <9a095db9.0403171350.46b2d9cb@posting.google.com>, Dian says..."pb..." <woodlark-99@newsguy.com> wrote in messagenews:<c38vrr02if9@enews2.newsguy.com>...>LilMtnCbn quotes newspaper article:>>>>http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,8956454%5E24218,>>00.html>>>>Betrayed once more>>snip article...except for:>>>>...It is never too late to make amends for a broken promise,>> >but the clock is ticking.>>And that clock will tick until that last birth mother betrayed>is dead and buried. Or, any other who has felt the harsh lash of>betrayal where trust was innocently placed...there are many clocks>ticking down -- too many.>>pb...>>...who has had a very close relationship with betrayal of several>stripes.A glimmer of hope, PB. They have employed the services of one of thelargest legal firms in the country (who took them on free of charge asa public interest issue) and have won their first round in fightingthe privacy laws that prohibited them from gaining possession of thebehind th scenes paper trail to establish who has been working behindthe scenes toquash their inquiry - and their motives behind such actions. Now theyknow. It's big stuff. Christine Campbell was not the culprit. She wasthe scape goat and lost her position as Minister for Health andCommunity Service on a trumped up set up, because she supported theinquiry. Just as she publicly supported the NSW inquiry back in 97/98,she supported her own States inquiry into the same issues. It cost herher job.DiGood news! As a truly wise (and rare) politician once told me, "Thosewheels of gov't grind slowly, but they do grind -- as long as someonekeeps up with the whips and chains!" ;-)pb... Oh, my! Whips and chains would clash with my conservative business suit and sensible shoes. They aren't exactly Evan Picone. Whatever shall I do? Laura

L.L.Bean and Timberline? ;-)

pb...