Truth, Healing and Reconciliation Taskforce

The Truth, Healing and Reconciliation Taskforce (the Taskforce) operated between September 2018 and December 2023.

During its period of operation, all members of the Taskforce (the Taskforce) acknowledged all that came before and led to where we are now.

The Taskforce acknowledged:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as our First Nations and Traditional Owners of the land.
• All people with lived experience of institutional child abuse.

The Taskforce also acknowledged:

• the Stolen Generations
• the Forgotten Australians and Child Migrants whose experiences were recognised through the 1999 Commission of Inquiry into Abuse of Children in Queensland Institutions, known as the Forde Inquiry.
• people who as children in the care of the State of Queensland were inappropriately placed in adult mental health facilities
• people harmed in out-of-home care
• people affected by forced adoptions.

The Taskforce recognised the harm experienced by many in the past and were committed to keeping this at the forefront of their work.

About the Taskforce

Following the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (the Royal Commission), the Queensland Government established the Truth, Healing and Reconciliation Taskforce (the Taskforce) on 3 September 2018.

The role of the Taskforce was to provide for the views of those who have experienced institutional child abuse, support services and organisations in advice to government on implementing Royal Commission related-reforms across Queensland Government.

The Taskforce also provided advice on a grants program, delivered by the Department of Child Safety, Seniors and Disability Services, that provided funding to community groups and organisations to undertake projects related to truth, healing and reconciliation activities.

Taskforce members

The Taskforce was chaired by Mr Bob Atkinson AO APM, and was made up of ten members including four people with lived experience, and reported to the Minister Child Safety, Seniors and Disability Services. The Taskforce concluded its work on 31 December 2023.

Find out more about the Taskforce members.

Taskforce priorities

The Taskforce's key priorities included:

1. Increasing community awareness and educating the public about the work of the Royal Commission and its 409 recommendations and providing an opportunity for Queenslanders with lived experience of institutional child abuse to voice their concerns, provide input and feedback on the recommendations.
2. Implementing the recommendations made by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse across Queensland Government.
3. Providing advice to the Queensland Government about their participation in the National Redress Scheme.
4. Contemporary out-of-home care.
5. Engagement across all levels of the Queensland community with people with lived experience, services and organisations and government.

Statewide Community forums

The Taskforce was committed to hearing from Queenslanders with a lived experience of institutional child abuse to better understand the impact of the Royal Commission in Queensland. Statewide community forums were held to seek feedback from Queenslanders with lived experience of child abuse, their supporters and support organisations.

Community forums provided an overview of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and a discussion on the National Redress Scheme. The Taskforce held forums in Toowoomba, Gold Coast, Cairns, Townsville, Maroochydore, Rockhampton, Roma, Mackay, Kingaroy, Cherbourg, Mount Isa, St George, and Warwick.

Truth, Healing and Reconciliation Grants Program

The Truth, Healing and Reconciliation grants program supported the recommendation made by the Royal Commission into Institutional Child Sexual Abuse to the truth of what happened to Queensland children in institutions and contribute to healing and reconciliation in the Queensland.

The grants program provided funding up to $10,000 for individual applicants and $15,000 for joint applicants, community groups and organisations to undertake projects related to truth, healing and reconciling histories of people with lived experience of institutional child abuse, across Queensland communities.

Activities were funded to:

• acknowledge and raise awareness about institutional child abuse and its impact
• support those with lived experience to speak out and share their stories in a way that is safe, supported, and promote better understanding by the broader community and institutions
• be important to people with lived experience such as events and reunions
• develop memorials or monuments of significance to those with a lived experience
• undertake research about institutional child abuse
• explore the impact of institutional child abuse.

During the five-year operation, the Taskforce awarded grants to:

• Cherbourg Boys and Girls Dormitory Ltd
• The Queensland Writers Centre
• Micah Projects in partnership with Global Community Resourcing and the Forde Foundation
• The Uniting Church Australia—Uniting Church of Australia Queensland Synod
• Centre Against Sexual Violence—greater Brisbane region
• YourTown—Youth Advisory Group for young people aged 18-25
• SANDBAG Community Centre
• Bravehearts Foundation Limited
• Link-Up (QLD)
• The Centre for Women & Co
• Pormpur Paanthu Aboriginal Corporation
• Cape York/Gulf Remote Area Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Care Advisory Association
• Friends of the Aged
• Hillbrook Anglican School
• Link-Up QLD
• Micah Projects—Lotus Place

More information

As per their Terms of Reference, the Taskforce released the following Annual Reports

• Final report
• 2022 Annual Report ((PDF, 597 KB)) 2022 Annual Report ((DOCX, 2.5 MB))
• 2021 Annual Report ((PDF, 599 KB)) 2021 Annual Report ((DOCX, 1.9 MB))
• 2020 Annual Report ((PDF, 10.8 MB)) 2020 Annual Report ((DOCX, 11.8 MB))
• 2019 Annual Report ((PDF, 6 MB)) 2019 Annual Report ((DOCX, 10.4 MB))

Between 2019 and 2021, the Taskforce also released the following Communiques

• December 2021 ((PDF, 393 KB)) December 2021 ((DOCX, 1.5 MB))
• July 2021 ((PDF, 402 KB)) July 2021 ((DOCX, 1.5 MB))
• November 2020 ((PDF, 271 KB)) November 2020 ((DOCX, 1.5 MB))
• May 2020 ((PDF, 180 KB)) May 2020 ((DOCX, 1.5 MB))
• February 2020 ((PDF, 266 KB)) February 2020 ((DOCX, 1.5 MB))
• November 2019 ((PDF, 455 KB)) November 2019 ((DOCX, 2 MB))

Resources and support

• For information on the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse visit the Child Abuse Royal Commission website.
• Information on the National Office for Child Safety, including the annual progress updates on the implementation of the Royal Commission recommendations by the Australian Government.
• Find information on the Queensland Government annual progress reports relating to the implementation of the recommendations made by the Royal Commission.
• For support, or to learn more about redress for people who have experienced institutional child sexual abuse visit the National Redress Scheme website or phone the National Redress Scheme information line on 1800 737 377, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.
• Find out more about the Queensland Government's participation in the National Redress Scheme.
• For information on support services across Queensland, including sexual assault counselling services, please visit My Community Directory.