Media releases

Frank Golding, an Honorary Research Fellow at Federation University Australia’s Collaborative Research Centre in Australian History (CRCAH), was recently invited to attend a historic policy announcement at Kirribilli House on child redress and institutional abuse.

Mr Golding, who grew up in the Ballarat Orphanage, is the author of 12 books and numerous scholarly articles and book chapters on Australian historical welfare. He also is Vice President of the Care Leavers Australian Network (CLAN).

“Recently Frank gave expert evidence to the Senate hearings on redress for children abused in institutional care,” Associate Professor Jacqueline Wilson from CRCAH said.

“His testimony has been central to recent state and federal government announcements on redress and Australian welfare reform. 

“Frank's expert testimony has been instrumental in the Victorian Government's announcement that former State Wards of Victoria will no longer have a criminal record for charges bought against them for entering ‘care’ in the 20th century.

“The Victorian Parliament is scheduled to deliver an apology to State Wards for this shocking historical anomaly.” 

Mr Golding is a member of CRCAH's Australian Research Council Discovery award, Rights in Records by Design, and conducts research with FedUni's ARC project members Professor Keir Reeves and Associate Professor Wilson.

“Without the grassroots activism, advocacy and longstanding campaigns fought by CLAN, Frank Golding and many Care leavers affected by Australia's punitive welfare regimes, we would not have these recent policy outcomes,” Associate Professor Wilson said.

“The Collaborative Research Centre in Australian History is proud to be associated with such groundbreaking policy reforms, scholarly activism and research that has real-world outcomes.”

Frank is pictured with CLAN president Leonie Sheedy and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews at Kirribilli House.