How Could You? Hall of Shame-Australia-Michelle Stubbs case

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From Australia, Michelle Stubbs who was sexually abused in state care “has rejected an apology from the State Government and returned a copy of it to every member of the Barnett Government.

The apology was issued by the State Government as a part of WA Redress, which was set up in 2008 to acknowledge and apologise to adults who were abused or neglected as children while in State care.

Ms Stubbs, who formed Adult Survivors of Child Abuse, also told ABC’s Geoff Hutchison that the Minister for Child Protection Robyn McSweeney phoned her on the day that the maximum ex gratia payments for Redress WA victims was cut from $80,000 to $45,000 to ask if she would ‘let this one go through to the keeper’.

“You know I have some integrity Geoff, and that was far too great a compromise for me I’m afraid,” she told ABC’s Geoff Hutchison. “I clearly said no.”

Ms Stubbs says the process she went through to receive an apology and compensation was humiliating, inadequate and deeply offensive.

“I’ve sent the letter of apology to the leader of the Opposition and they are going to give it back to the Premier today. [The letter of apology] basically means nothing to me.”

Ms Stubbs was sexually abused by her step-father from the age of 8-years-old until she reported the abuse to WA Police at the age of 13.

Her mother rejected the claims of sexual abuse and Ms Stubbs was removed from her home and placed in care of the State until she was 17-years-old.

While in care, Ms Stubbs was forced to have unsupervised visits by her step-father, which she found traumatic and she frequently ran away to avoid the meetings.

“I didn’t know what else to do. I’d gone to the Police and the State Government for help and instead of my step-father going off to prison; I was the one being punished.”

“It’s actually quite sad when you see it all detailed in my community welfare file.”

Running away from these meetings resulted in Ms Stubbs being placed in a maximum security detention centre for women under 18-years-old and was raped twice.

Ms Stubbs was able to leave State care when she turned 16-years old but a year later another tragic event occurred.

“My mother found out that my step-father had begun abusing my younger sister, she finally worked up enough courage to try and leave him. She was gone for a week and then he shot her to death.

Ms Stubbs said it was a traumatic experience at the time and to have to relive the memories all over again through the Redress WA process. In her Redress WA application there were five points concerning her treatment that she wanted the State Government to acknowledge:

1. Ms Stubbs was an A-grade student and a school prefect but during her first 8 months of State care she was sent to 6 different high schools, one which she attended for only 2 weeks.

2. Forced unsupervised visits with by her step-father while in care of the State

3. Being locked up in Nyandi, a maximum security detention facility while a minor and having not committed an offence

4. She was raped twice while in care of the State

5. Claimed being placed in ‘time out’ several times where she was forced to sit at a desk, facing a wall, for two days without being allowed to talk or sleep.

Ms Stubbs says she only wanted to focus on the major wrongdoing while she was in State care and left out other misconduct.

Not satisfied with her Redress WA assessment and settlement, Ms Stubbs accepted it but pushed for a further explanation of her submission appraisal.

“I discovered that of the five issued that I raised, the only one they were sorry for was the forced visits with my step-father.” “

Ms Stubbs received $13,000 as compensation, $5,000 of which went to legal fees, and relocated to QLD because she was so disgusted with her treatment by the WA Government.

“I walked away with $8,500, which was basically enough to get me out of WA.”

Sex abuse victim rejects WA Government apology
[Australian Broadcasting Company 9/9/11 by Brooke Bannister]

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