One year on from the formal apology, the Government’s promises to survivors of abuse in state and faith-based care have proven hollow.
“It’s been a year since the apology and we’ve seen a disgraceful lack of progress on the Royal Commission’s recommendations, as survivors continue to face injustice,” Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said.
“Survivors are due the independent redress they’ve been waiting years for.
“Pausing historic claims for months and forcing survivors to prove they’re a ‘good’ survivor is both cruel and immoral. They’ve waited far too long and adding new hurdles is simply wrong.
“We took politics off the table and offered to work with the Government to get this right for survivors – that offer was ignored.
“Successive Governments have let survivors down. It is appalling that this continues today, a year after the Crown apology for the abuse that remains a hideous stain on our history. We cannot repeat the mistakes of the past,” Chris Hipkins said.