Australia apologises to Thalidomide tragedy survivors

Australia will tender a national apology to survivors of the Thalidomide tragedy, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

“The Thalidomide tragedy is a dark chapter in the history of our nation and the world,” according to Albanese in a statement on Monday.

The survivors, their family members, carers and supporters will attend the historic apology at the parliament on November 29, said the prime minister’s office.

Thalidomide was an active ingredient in a sedative drug widely distributed to many mothers in Australia and around the world in the early 1960s.

Severe birth defects

It was later found to cause malformation of limbs, facial features and internal organs in unborn children.

According to official estimates, there are 146 survivors of Thalidomide registered with the Australian Thalidomide Survivors Support Program but “the exact number of those affected is unknown.”

The Albanese government will also unveil a National Site of Recognition on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin on November 30.

“In giving this apology, we will acknowledge all those babies who died and the families who mourn them, as well as those who survived but whose lives were made so much harder by the effects of this terrible drug,” said Albanese.

“So many mothers and their babies were let down by systemic failures that led to the Thalidomide tragedy, and we should reflect on that and apologise for it.”