The Albanese Government and the Australian Parliament, on behalf of the people of Australia has today offered a full, unreserved and overdue apology to all thalidomide survivors, their families, loved ones and carers.
The Government’s Australian Thalidomide Survivors Support Program will be re-opened to ensure that anyone who may have missed the previous opportunity to apply for support does not miss out on the support they need and deserve.
The Program is a lifetime support package which includes a one-off lump sum payment in recognition of pain and suffering, as well as ongoing annual payments.
From now on, rather than those payments being locked at a particular level, the Government will support increases through indexation, for all current and future applicants who qualify.
Tomorrow, the Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler will unveil a national memorial to survivors of the thalidomide tragedy and their families, on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra.
The location and design of the National Site of Recognition were chosen in collaboration with Australian thalidomide survivors.
The National Site of Recognition will promote education and awareness of the thalidomide tragedy, recognise the pain and suffering of survivors and their families, and represent our commitment to learn from the past.
Quotes attributable to the Prime Minister:
“This apology takes in one of the darkest chapters in Australia’s medical history.
“Expectant mothers, through no fault of their own, were exposed to a drug with devastating effects that were realised too late.
“To the survivors: we apologise for the pain thalidomide has inflicted on each and every one of you, each and every day.
“As survivors have requested, the National Site of Recognition will be much more than “a plaque in a park”. It will be a prompt for our collective conscience, a call to our nation’s heart.”
Quotes attributable to Minister Butler:
“The Government’s Thalidomide Survivors Support Program will be re-opened to ensure that anyone who may have missed the previous opportunity to apply for support does not miss out on the support they need and deserve.
“The national memorial was designed in collaboration with thalidomide survivors - to honour and respect them, to acknowledge their pain and courage and to ensure this tragedy is never forgotten.
“The words inscribed in the glass bricks were chosen by survivors to reflect their experience. It’s impossible to read those words and not be profoundly moved by the impact and legacy of the tragedy.
“The thalidomide tragedy provides a powerful lesson about the need to be vigilant to safeguard people’s health.”