16 November 2009
For immediate release
MEDIA RELEASE
‘WE WILL DO ALL IN OUR POWER TO NEVER LET THIS HAPPEN AGAIN’
The 700 delegates of the 2009 Asia Pacific Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect (APCCAN
2009) broke into spontaneous applause when Prime Minister Kevin Rudd proclaimed, ‘we will
do all in our power to never let this happen again.’ The sentence formed part of the emotional
apology to the country's Forgotten Australians, spoken at Parliament House in Canberra today.
Maree Faulkner, CEO of the National Association for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect
(NAPCAN) and Co-Chair of the APCCAN 2009 conference supported the statement and said:
‘Kevin Rudd’s message is critically important as it provides the motivation to the delegates at
the APCCAN conference to make sure that it never happens again. The statement must be
more than rhetoric and remind the nation that we need to put children first to protect against
child abuse in the future.’
‘It is imperative that the government allocates adequate resources to ensure that these
statements are able to be implemented in the community. We don’t have to accept that the
abuse that happened in the past has to continue into the future.’
Professor Dorothy Scott Foundation Chair in Child Protection and the Director of the Australian
Centre for Child Protection at the University of South Australia remarked, ‘The Prime Ministers
apology will help the ‘remembered Australians’ to heal and give hope to their families. The
statement will give hope to those of us who work in child protection. It reminds us that the good
intentions of the sector can inflict pain. It strengthens our commitment to review the current
system and ensure that it doesn’t corrode the well being of those children who are currently in
state care. It gives us the opportunity to reflect on the task of preventing child abuse and a
chance to commit to the children who are not yet born.’
‘It is a fantastic tribute to those at this conference who have been involved in the sustained effort
to bring this to the attention of the decision makers. As a result of this speech let’s remember
not to wait until the children become adults to hear their concerns but listen to their voices
today.’
The delegates are currently attending a conference at the Perth Convention Centre. The
conference is hosted by the National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect
(NAPCAN) brings together researchers, professionals and practitioners who work on the front
line for the prevention of child abuse. The conference is taking place between 15 to 18
November 2009 and sees participants gather from throughout Asia Pacific.
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The program will include five keynote addresses from notable international speakers plus over
A media room will be available at the conference and interviews with speakers, members of the
conference organizing committee and NAPCAN representatives can be arranged.
For further information please contact:
Catherine Baker, State Manager tel: 0432 105 415.
Notes to the editor:
NAPCAN (National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect) is Australia’s leading
advocate for the prevention of child abuse and neglect. NAPCAN’s goal is to bring about the
changes necessary in individual and community behavior and in government policy to stop
abuse and neglect before it starts.
NAPCAN also works directly with children and young people conducting innovative programs to
strengthen protective behaviors build resilience and life skills. NAPCAN also assists ‘at risk’
parents through face-to-face programs and works in local communities building inclusive
networks and strengthening local support of children and families.
A charity, NAPCAN is governed by a national board with the support of professional sub-
committees and state and territory councils. For further information go to: www.napcan.org.au
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