Govt Offers $20,000 Rapid Payment for Terminally Ill Survivors of Lake Alice Hospital

Stanford highlighted that this payment is an initial step in addressing the long-term financial and health challenges faced by survivors.

The coalition Government has announced urgent financial assistance for terminally ill survivors of the Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital Child and Adolescent Unit. Following the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care’s final report, which revealed that many of the 362 children admitted to the unit between 1972 and 1978 did not have any mental illness and were subjected to torture, the Government is taking immediate action.

On July 24, the Government acknowledged the suffering endured by these survivors and has committed to providing a rapid payment of $20,000 to those who are terminally ill. Minister Erica Stanford, responsible for coordinating the Crown Response to the Abuse in Care Inquiry, stated, “Lake Alice survivors have informed us there are a small number of their group who are expected to only have a short time left to live. That’s why Cabinet has agreed to make a rapid payment of $20,000 available for terminally ill survivors.”

Stanford highlighted that this payment is an initial step in addressing the long-term financial and health challenges faced by survivors. The Government is also working on a broader redress package to further acknowledge the abuse that took place at Lake Alice.

The $20,000 payment will be processed through the Ministry of Health, which already manages a historic claims process for Lake Alice survivors. To apply for the payment, survivors will need to provide a letter from a medical professional confirming a terminal diagnosis with a prognosis of six months or less, according to Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey.

Minister Doocey expressed deep concern about the abuse suffered by young people at Lake Alice, stating, “It is deeply saddening that young people in Lake Alice, who should have been safe there, were subject to mistreatment and torture. Any harm, and especially any abuse as a result of trust placed in government institutions, is unacceptable.”