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On 29 November 2023, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stood in the House of Representatives to apologise, on behalf of the nation, to all Australians affected by the thalidomide tragedy.
In the motion of apology, the Prime Minister
- - placed on record our nation's profound sorrow;
- - paid respects to the memory of those who lost their lives;
- - honoured the survivors and recognised the suffering they have endured;
- - recognised the mothers and fathers who have also suffered, through no fault of their own; and
- - acknowledged all those who have fought for this apology and championed this cause.1
As a mark of respect, Members stood in silence.
After the motion of apology was moved, the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and parliamentary colleagues met with thalidomide survivors and their families at a reception in in the Great Hall of Parliament House.
A National Site of Recognition for Thalidomide Survivors and their Families was unveiled on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin at a ceremony the following day.2
A copy of the Apology is on display at Parliament House.
The Apology followed a recommendation in the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs 2019 report Support for Australia’s thalidomide survivors, which noted that
thalidomide survivors expressed a very strong desire to see the Australian Government apologise for its role in the thalidomide tragedy. Thalidomide survivors consider that they are owed an apology for the absence of support and the government's failure to acknowledge its involvement. Thalidomide survivors also want an apology for their mothers who often lived with terrible guilt about taking thalidomide.3
Thalidomide was the active ingredient in a drug developed and manufactured by German pharmaceutical company Chemie Grünenthal (now Grünenthal GmbH) that was licensed for sale globally.
In Australia, between 1 August 1960 and 29 November 1961, Distillers Company (now Diageo) distributed and marketed the drug to pregnant women to ease the symptoms of morning sickness. Tragically, taking even one tablet had the capacity to cause malformation of limbs, facial features and internal organs in their unborn children and often resulting in premature death.
The first known thalidomide-affected baby was born in West Germany to the spouse of a Grünenthal employee on 25 December 1956. Since the damaging effects of thalidomide became known, Grünenthal has been subject to significant and ongoing criticism for its role in the thalidomide disaster.
As a result of the work of Dr Wikukind Lenz in Germany and Dr William McBridge in Australia, the drug was withdrawn from sale here in late 1961.
It is estimated that that approximately 40 per cent of children born with thalidomide-induced damage died in in their first year of life and that thalidomide caused severe congenital damage for more than 10,000 children.4
The Committee’s report documented the profound effect that thalidomide had on the lives of survivors and their families, affecting every part of their lives.
The Apology reads:
National Apology to all Australians impacted by the Thalidomide Tragedy
Today on behalf of the people of Australia, our Government and this Parliament offers a full, unreserved and overdue apology to all Australians impacted by the thalidomide tragedy. This apology takes in one of the darkest chapters in Australia’s medical history. When expectant mothers, through no fault of their own, were exposed to a drug with devastating effects that were realised far too late. To the survivors: we apologise for the pain thalidomide has inflicted on each and every one of you, each and everyday.
We are sorry.
We are more sorry than we can say.
We are sorry for the harm and the hurt and the hardship you have endured.We are sorry for all the cruelty you have had to bear.
We are sorry for all the opportunities you have been denied.
We are sorry for the battle you have had to fight over the decades, for fair support and due recognition. And we are sorry that there are so many who deserved this apology, who have not lived to see this day.
We offer our respects to their memories, and we extend our deepest sympathies to their families and friends.
To the mothers and fathers, today we apologise because you were failed too.
We are sorry you have endured decades of knowing your children’s lives are harder than they should have been.
We are sorry you have suffered your own hurt, even though what happened is not your fault and it never was.
We say sorry, not imagining that these words can resolve the anguish or remove the pain.
We understand an apology does not balance years of inaction and inadequate support.
We know the toll of thalidomide is still felt today, we know it will still be felt tomorrow.
We promise your legacy and your example will never be forgotten.
If this content brings up strong feelings or raises questions for you, there are many services and support groups available to assist you.
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References
1. A Albanese, ‘National apology to all Australians affected by the thalidomide tragedy’, House of Representatives, Debates, 29 November 2023, p. 8771.
2. Mark Butler (Minister for Health and Aged Care), ‘Speech at the dedication ceremony to unveil the National Site of Recognition for Thalidomide survivors and their families’, transcript, Canberra, 30 November 2023. National Capital Authority, ‘National site of recognition for thalidomide survivors and their families’.
3. Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs report Support for Australia’s thalidomide survivors, Canberra, 2019, p. 34.
4. Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs, Support for Australia’s thalidomide survivors: Interim Report, Canberra, 2019, p. 3Re