In late June, we published an open letter to Morris Iemma and encouraged people to sign it online. While we are no longer asking people to add their name to the open letter publicly, we still encourage you to send this letter to Morris Iemma. Please let us know when you have sent it so we can keep track of the impact our collective action is having.

Morris Iemma MP
Premier of NSW
Parliament House
Macquarie St
Sydney NSW 2000

June 28, 2007

Dear Premier,

Funding Breaking the Silence could mean NSW leads in responding to the tragedy of child sexual abuse in Aboriginal communities.

The Breaking the Silence report of the Aboriginal Child Sexual Assault Task Force is the result of wide consultation with Aboriginal people.

The NSW Government's response to support 88 recommendations in a five year plan was generally well received by the Task Force and the wider community.

Child sexual assault is a tragedy wherever it occurs. The failure of the NSW government to allocate extra funding in the budget for these recommendations is a betrayal of the Aboriginal people who co-operated with it, helped to construct the implementation plan and demonstrated plainly their commitment to solving this problem.

Agencies are already stretched beyond capacity and will be unlikely to achieve the necessary changes without additional resources. The failure to allocate proper resources will just place more pressure on already under equipped departments, despite the undoubted good intentions of current staff.

The Government's refusal to commit adequate funding could cost some Aboriginal children their lives and destroy many more over the coming years.

We call on the NSW Government to lead Australia in resolving the tragedy of child sexual assault on Aboriginal children by committing the necessary new money to funding the implementation of the Breaking the Silence recommendations.

We await your response to our concerns,

Anne Byrne, President
NSW Australians for Native Title & Reconciliation

Greg Davison, Chairperson
NSW Reconciliation Council

Professor Judy Atkinson PhD, Head of College
Glenn Woods, Head of School
Gnibi the College of Indigenous Australian Peoples, Southern Cross University

Sarah Thackway, President, NSW Branch
Public Health Association of Australia
The Public Health Association of Australia, NSW Branch, supports and endorses the open letter to the Premier of NSW requesting funding to implement strategies detailed in the report Breaking the Silence: Creating the future.
We acknowledge the extensive work by the Taskforce that went into developing the report and the role of Premiers and Cabinet Officer into coordination of the whole of Government response. This is a critical issue as noted by the Taskforce Chairperson Marcia Ella-Duncan "Child sexual assault is a crime that devastates families who experience it". As such sufficient funding is required to ensure its success.

Peter Dixon
Marrickville Residents for Reconciliation

Joseph Castley
AWD Aboriginal Justice Support Group

Leigh Bowden
Racism Awareness Workshops (RAW) Inc

Jeffrey Samuels, Chairperson
Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative

Lyn Leerson, Secretary
Reconciliation for Western Sydney

Lyn Turnbull
Redfern Residents for Reconciliation

Natanya Mandel, Executive Officer
Dympna House Child Sexual Assault Counselling and Resource Centre

Vivi Germanos-Koutsounadis O.A.M
Ethnic Child Care Family and Community Services Co-operative Ltd

Terry Chenery, Executive Officer
NSW Aboriginal Justice Advisory Council (AJAC)

Glendra Stubbs
Link-up NSW Aboriginal Corp

Jan Boukabou, for HARR
Hornsby Area Residents for Reconciliation

Frennie Beytagh
Mosman Reconciliation Group

Ray Minniecon
Crossroads

Michelle Burrell
Council of Social Service of NSW

Margaret Hinchey, Convenor
Catholics in Coalition for Justice and Peace (CCJP)

Jenny Leong, President
The Sydney University Postgraduate Representative Association (SUPRA)

Sally Fitzpatrick
Women's Reconciliation Network, NSW

Associate Professor Lisa Jackson Pulver PhD, Director
Muru Marri Indigenous Health Unit, University of NSW

Margaret Brennan
ANTaR Inner West

Ray Jackson, President
Indigenous Social Justice Association Inc

Graeme Cordiner
Sydney Friends of Myall Creek

Alison Aggarwal, Co-Director / Advocacy & Human Rights Officer
Combined Community Legal Centres Group (NSW) Inc

Graham Barry
Acumen Publishing

Susan Ambler
Blue Mountains ANTaR and People for Reconciliation

Jonathan Inkpin
NSW Ecumenical Council

Marie Therese Nilon LCM
Pax Christi NSW

Dr Joseph Pugliese
Department of Critical and Cultural Studies, Macquarie University

Sharni Jones & Kerrie McKenzie
Northern Sydney Region Reconciliation Network

Kerrie McKenzie
Lane Cove Residents for Reconciliation

Ann Lomas

Jan Anderson
Central Coast Reconciliation Group NSW

Marie Butcher
NSW Mercy Aboriginal network

Clabon Allen
ANTAR Inner West

Stella Cornelius

Nerida White
Central Coast Reconciliation Group NSW

Liz Rothe
NSW Mercy Aboriginal Network

kevin hardwick

Jane Woodruff
UnitingCare Burnside

Celestine Pooley
Sisters of Mercy, North Sydney

Kathryn Rose

Carolyn Reay-Young

mark mcalpine

Greg Thomas

Deni McKenzie
ANTaR Armidale Co-convenor

Dr Ros Vaughan

Phil Bradley
NSW Teachers Federation and President of Reconciliation for Western Sydney

Annie Nielsen
Reconciliation for Western Sydney and Parramatta City Council ATSI Advisory Committee

helen evans

Sue Bond

Lissa Giurissevich

Douglas Williamson
Parramatta Greens

Robyn Stinson

Carol Morris

Marjorie Roberts

Helen Deane

Elizabeth Young

Jaden harris

Maureen Watson
Presentation Sisters (Wagga Wagga)

Donna Maritz

Christabelle Baranay

Yvonne Westall

Ms Dale Biddle

Jude Meacham

Elaine & Peter Lucas

Sarah Dillane

Catriona Hodgson

Alyssa Benjamin

Sue Fenwick

Anika Koenig

Keri James

Mary Scurrah

Irmgard Teschke

K. Lawrence

Paula Owen

Martin Hausmann

Elizabeth O'Connell

John Algar

Katharina Schmidt

Faith Jones
Sisters of Mercy Singleton

Denise Thompson

Sarah Wernicke

Roslyn Singleton

Seamus Balkin

Liz Fell

John Card

Philip Kidner & Sheilah Mary Kidner
Boolaroo/Warners Bay Social Justice Action Group

Susanne Opel

Jodie Summers

Kristian Brümmer

Kylie Smith

Caroline Le Couteur

Trish Levett
Yamanda Aboriginal Association Mittagong NSW

Ian Cohen MLC
Upper House Greens MP