In response to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care, survivors have a new way of accessing their records online, launched this week.
Government and faith-based institutions were responsible for the care of more than 650,000 people between 1950 and 2019 but getting hold of personal files has been hugely challenging for many.
The new website called Kōnae doesn’t hold their personal files, it’s independent of the government, but it shows survivors how to access their records — their legal right.
Kerry Dalton, the Citizens Advice Bureau chief executive, told 1News: “There is a map that can be searched, a directory of institutions and organisations that can be searched and also an automated form that people can fill out and it will go to the record holders with the request for records.
“We know that sometimes the journey for people to access their records can not be straightforward — it can be confusing and sometimes upsetting.”
Abuse survivor Tyrone Marks said the task of getting hold of files has seemed insurmountable for many.
“Trying to navigate for many survivors has basically led to them just giving up in most cases, because there seems to be so many roadblocks, or the goal posts have moved, or they just haven’t been able to get that access, which they’re entitled to.”
The $186 million inquiry, which took six years, found in some cases, care records had been deliberately destroyed.
Marks has got his records successfully, and urged people to ensure they have support when reading what they’re able to retrieve.
Anyone with literacy or computer use problems can go to a Citizens Advice Bureau branch for help to use the site.
