Human rights lawyers at Cooper Legal are echoing calls by fellow human rights lawyer, Tony Ellis, to recognise torture in State institutions outside of Lake Alice Hospital.

Since the Government’s announcement last year that those placed at the Lake Alice Child and Adolescent Unit within a small window of time would receive significant compensation, Cooper Legal has called on the Government to extend the settlement framework to cover all survivors of abuse in State ‘care’.

“Even if we just look at the psychiatric hospitals, it is extremely arbitrary what the Government has done” says Cooper Legal Partner, Sonja Cooper.

“The Government has singled out the smallest cohort of people, pretty much put them on a pedestal to say, ‘look we’ve listened to the Royal Commission’ and is dishing them out huge payments, where people who suffered exactly the same treatment, but not in the Child and Adolescent Unit, are ignored.

“Take Oakley Hospital for example. If someone suffered the same treatment as the small Lake Alice cohort, the highest payment they can get is $6,000 or $9,000 if they were also sexually abused. Whereas, the small Lake Alice group is entitled to a minimum of $150,000. Where is the justice in that?

“The Government can’t claim ignorance on this. As far back as 1971, the Government commissioned an Inquiry into the treatment of patients at Oakley Hospital.

“The reports from this, and a second Inquiry in 1983, are scathing and confirm that successive Governments have known for decades that unmodified ECT and paraldehyde was administered at Oakley. This is the exact treatment that those who were at Lake Alice are getting paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for.

“However, for some reason, despite these Inquiries, that same treatment is not recognised as torture if it occurred outside of the Child and Adolescent Unit.

“This is infuriating and is yet another kick in the guts for survivors, who are being told that this Government cares more about a small group of survivors than it does about all survivors.

“As human rights lawyers, we must hold this Government to account and ensure that people are treated equally.

“We will do this in any way necessary, whether it is through litigation in the High Court or asking the United Nations to make a wider declaration.

“We will continue to fight against injustice for all survivors”, Ms Cooper concluded.

© Scoop Media