Victorian abuse victims want ‘fairer’ compensation in redress scheme

Geelong’s Terry Helman was only three months old when he was taken from his family and put in an orphanage. He is one of hundreds of care leavers who are “outraged” at the state’s compensation scheme.

St Alban Park’s Terry Helman was just three months old when he was separated from his siblings and put into state care. Picture: Alison Wynd

Terry Helman was just three months old when he was taken from his parents and siblings and placed in an orphanage.

In 1955, the now-69-year-old and his four siblings were separated and placed into different orphanages.

He only saw his mother again when he was nine.

“I was playing in the yard and a nun came up to me and said I had a visitor,” Mr Helman said.

“A woman then came up to me and said, ‘I’m your mother’.

“I didn’t know how to react, I’d never had a mother before.

“I didn’t even hug her because I didn’t know this woman.”

Mr Helman, who now lives in St Albans Park, grew up in five different homes across the state until he was 16.

“There isn’t a day that goes past that I don’t think about those years,” he said.

“A lot of bad things happened all the time, you were always punished for something as that was how they ran these places.

“There could be 200 kids there but you always felt like you were on your own.

“They weren’t happy years.”

Before 1990, more than 90,000 children were placed in institutional care in Victoria and removed from their parents who were deemed “unfit” or forcibly adopted.

In September, the state government announced a redress scheme for those who experienced abuse and neglect as children in institutional care before 1990.

This will include a payment of $20,000, up to 20 counselling sessions and a personal restorative engagement process.

This week, Care Leavers Australiasia Network (CLAN) attended state parliament for a protest calling for “fairer” compensation and justice for all care leavers.

CLAN co-founder and chief executive Leonie Sheedy, who grew up in an orphanage in Geelong, said people were “outraged” the payment was only $20,000.

CLAN co-founder and chief executive Leonie Sheedy at the Australian Orphanage Museum in Geelong. Picture: Alan Barber

Up to $100,000 is offered to victims of the Stolen Generation and $30,000 to those ­affected by the forced adoptions scheme.

In June this year, the state government announced it was considering a plan for landowners whose views are spoiled by new power transmission lines to receive a $40,000 compensation payment.

“That is double for what we will be getting,” Ms Sheedy said.

“It’s insulting that homeowners ... could be getting double than state wards.”

CLAN is also calling for the churches and charities who ran the orphanages to be mandated to make a monetary contribution to the redress scheme.

Geelong's Terry Helman at the protest on the steps of state parliament this week. Picture: Supplied

A Department of Families, Fairness and Housing spokesman said applications for redress were expected to open next month.

The department did not directly respond when asked about CLAN’s protests.

In February this year, Premier Jacinta Allan made a historic formal apology to Victorians abused in state care.

“We failed you,” she said.

“To those children who were abused and neglected during their time in care, we humbly and unreservedly apologise.”

This week, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon also formally apologised to victims of institutional abuse.

Originally published as Victorian abuse victims want ‘fairer’ compensation in redress scheme