Australia has apologised to the victims of child sex abuse, with prime minister Scott Morrison and opposition leader Bill Shorten delivering emotional speeches in parliament on Monday morning.
Hundreds of victims and survivors of child sexual abuse travelled to Canberra to watch the apology in Parliament House.
Morrison started addressing the House of Representatives by noting that it had been a long journey to get there.
Today, Australia confronts a trauma, an abomination, hiding in plain sight for far too long.
Today, we confront a question too horrible to ask, let alone answer — why weren't the children of our nation loved, nurtured and protected?
Why was their trust betrayed? Why did those who know cover it up? Why were the cries of children and parents ignored?
Why was our system of justice blind to injustice?
Why has it taken so long to act? Why were other things more important than this, the care of innocent children?
Why didn't we believe?
Today, we dare to ask these questions, and finally acknowledge and confront the lost screams of our children.
Morrison said the sorry being given on Monday was "from a nation that seeks to reach out in compassion into the darkness, where you have lived so long". He said the abuse had happened in schools, churches, youth groups, scout troops, orphanages, foster homes, sporting clubs, group homes, charities and in family homes.
"It happened anywhere a predator thought they could get away with it, and the systems within these organisations allowed it to happen, and turned a blind eye," he said.
For that blind eye, Morrison said sorry.
We say sorry, to the children we failed, sorry.
To the parents whose trust was betrayed and who have struggled to pick up the pieces, sorry.
To the whistleblowers, who we did not listen to, sorry.
To the spouses, partners, wives, husbands, children, who have dealt with the consequences of the abuse, cover-ups and obstruction, sorry.
To generations past and present, sorry.
In his speech, the prime minister announced a new national centre for raising awareness of the impacts of child sexual abuse, and a new national museum to record the stories of the survivors of child sexual abuse. Morrison ended his speech by telling the victims they were believed.
I believe you, we believe you, your country believes you."
In reply, opposition leader Bill Shorten said sorry for the betrayal of trust, for every abuse of power, and for trauma measured in decades for scars that can never heal.
We are sorry for every cry for help that fell on deaf ears and hard hearts.
We are sorry for every crime that was not investigated, every criminal who went unpunished.
And we are sorry for every time that you were not heard, and not believed.
We hear you now. We believe you. Australia believes you.
Shorten said he was sorry it had taken so long for the words to be said. The Labor leader acknowledged that not all victims of child sexual abuse would want to be there.
"Last week I was told of a survivor who was asked [if he] would be attending today. He said no. He said, 'These apologies are only so politicians can look good in front of the public'," Shorten said.
"And you know what? After decades of betrayal by governments, by the police, by the courts and the law, by foster parents and orphanages, by teachers and schools and sporting clubs, by churches and charities and more, he has every right to be sceptical that words are cheap."
Shorten said those who gathered "deserve real change".
"It means improving the lives of children now, recognising that vulnerable children don't resolve every issue miraculously the day they turn 18," he said. "Their support shouldn't fall off a bureaucratic cliff based on the date you were born."
Former prime minister Julia Gillard was also in attendance. One of her last acts as prime minister was to establish the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse, and the apology was one of the recommendations made from the report from the royal commission.
Both leaders paid tribute to Gillard, as well as former prime minister Tony Abbott for continuing the royal commission, and Malcolm Turnbull for announcing the apology earlier this year when he was still prime minister.
Gillard was applauded in the house when Shorten thanked the former prime minister for commencing the royal commission.
At the end of both speeches, the House of Representatives stood in silence for a moment.
At an event in parliament house after the apology, Gillard thanked both the leaders.
"I am sitting where I wanted to be, with the survivors and their families and friends; and thank you for the very great honour you have paid to me today by acknowledging me in the room. It means a great deal to me."
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