300px-Ides_of_March_Coin_BackThe call made today by Prime Minister Julia Gillard for a leadership spill achieved little but overshadowed the Federal apology to the 250,000 Victims of the Forced Adoptions. Many recipients of the Apology are upset. The Prime Minister knew yesterday that the leadership spill would arise and her reaction was to “bring it on” instead of negotiate today as standalone for the Victims of the Apology.

The leadership fracas shadowed not only the Apology but also the Senate passing the NDIS Bill. The circus began to take shape with Simon Crean calling for a leadership spill. Mr Crean has lost faith in Prime Minister Julia Gillard whom at one time he supported feverishly. She had also strongly supported him during his time as a leader of the ALP.

Mr Crean had intended to have a crack at the Deputy Leadership if Kevin Rudd agreed to have a crack at the Leadership. One source in Mr Rudd’s immediate camp said that there is angst in the close knit Rudd camp about how they are being treated and ostracised by the Prime Minister. Some of the Rudd camp were frustrated that a spill was brought on so soon. One said it would now be perceived Mr Rudd been effectively beaten three times by Ms Gillard. But another source said Mr Rudd’s chances of a May tilt at the leadership have been given a huge boost by today’s circus. The Prime Minister has finished up a weakened leader of a clearly divided party.

She sacked Simon Crean from his ministerial portfolio and he has been relegated to the back benches.

At 1:30pm today Mr Crean asked the Prime Minister for the ballot.

Sources close to those trying to do the numbers said that Mr Rudd is short half a dozen votes at most from regaining the leadership not the score of votes the Prime Minister’s camp would have us believe.

In another Government debacle Mr Abbott called for a motion of no confidence in the Prime Minister and in terms of votes it went 73 to 71 his way but it has no effect as 76 votes are required.

Earlier in the day the Government withdrew the Media Bills knowing they had little chance of getting through.

Mr Rudd said that he will not commit to any challenge unless the majority of Caucus supported this. He also made it clear that the Prime Minister would have to effectively step down for this to happen. Sources in the Rudd camp said the Prime Minister knew this because one of Rudd’s messengers made this clear to the Prime Minster.

A parliamentary source close to the Prime Minister said that she would not step down while she had the numbers “even if they are by a margin of one.”

Long-serving Labor stalwart Simon Crean triggered today’s chain of events after he went public with his urge that Mr Rudd should have a crack at the leadership. Alan Fitzgibbon also went public with his support and had been working behind the scenes to whip up support among Caucus. A source said that in the last several days Mr Crean and Mr Rudd had discussed the need for a change of leadership and direction.

Mr Abbott has described the Government as “a house divided.”

“The civil war goes on between Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd.”

Prime Minister Gillard announced during Question Time, which commenced at 2pm, that there would be a ballot for the leadership and for the deputy leadership 4.30pm. And then in one of her more disgraceful comments on record displayed her self-interest and the ignominy of the Australian political landscape finds itself in – “Take your best shot,” said the Prime Minister. The crass and self-aggrandizing language has raged in recent times led by Ms Gillard and Wayne Swan.

Sources in the Rudd camp described the Prime Minister’s call for a ballot today as “dirty tricks.”

“If Julia and Wayne wanted to do the right thing they would have held off today and negotiated a day to suit the best interests of the nation.”

“But we realise that the majority of the Caucus even if by a slim margin want to retain Julia but the problem too is that the majority of the party as a whole prefer Kevin.”

“If Julia and Wayne wanted what is best for the nation they would not have contrived to remove Kevin in the way they did in the first place. If they want what is best for the nation then they will listen to the majority of the nation which prefers Kevin as leader to both Julia and Tony.”

What the future holds for an exhausted Australia from a never before seen debacle – three years of the most petulant leadership squabbles and general bickering about winnable elections, well everyone will have to wait. Mr Crean may apparently do the numbers again.

“Kevin Rudd has no option, in my view, other than to stand for the leadership,” said Mr Crean.

“I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t believe there was the mood and the need for change in the party.”

The circus and dirty tricks of March 21 will be remembered alongside the Apology to the Forced Adoption. For many of those removed from their families by horrific adoption practices by contemporary standards, the period is also known as the White Stolen Generations.

Children were taken from their mothers against their will by Australian State and Territory Government departments and sometimes with the assistance of adoption agencies. The babies were adopted out to other families. Many of these adoptions occurred after the mothers were sent away by their families “due to the stigma associated with being pregnant and unmarried.”

The removals occurred between approximately 1930 and 1982.

Approximately 250,000 of these types of adoptions took place in Australia.

Mothers who fought back were sometimes institutionalised and others held down while authorities whisked the babies away. The practice of adopting out the children also became known as ‘institutionalised baby farming’.

Babies born to unmarried women were forcibly taken from them and adopted by couples.

The recipients of the Apology deserved more respect on this day, March 21. All Australians deserved the right to focus on what previous Governments had done to hundreds of thousands of young parents and their children.

The following words of the Apology were moved in the Senate and the House of Representatives:

Today, this Parliament, on behalf of the Australian people,  takes responsibility and apologises for the policies and practices that  forced the separation of mothers from their babies, which created a  lifelong legacy of pain and suffering.

2. We acknowledge the profound effects of these policies and practices on fathers.

3. And we recognise the hurt these actions caused to brothers and sisters, grandparents, partners and extended family members.

4. We deplore the shameful practices that denied you, the  mothers, your fundamental rights and responsibilities to love and care  for your children. You were not legally or socially acknowledged as  their mothers. And you were yourselves deprived of care and support.

5. To you, the mothers who were betrayed by a system that  gave you no choice and subjected you to manipulation, mistreatment and  malpractice, we apologise.

6. We say sorry to you, the mothers who were denied knowledge of your rights, which meant you could not provide informed consent. You were given false assurances. You were forced to endure the coercion and brutality of practices that were unethical, dishonest and in many cases illegal.

7. We know you have suffered enduring effects from these  practices forced upon you by others. For the loss, the grief, the  disempowerment, the stigmatisation and the guilt, we say sorry.

8. To each of you who were adopted or removed, who were led  to believe your mother had rejected you and who were denied the  opportunity to grow up with your family and community of origin and to  connect with your culture, we say sorry.

9. We apologise to the sons and daughters who grew up not knowing how much you were wanted and loved.

10. We acknowledge that many of you still experience a  constant struggle with identity, uncertainty and loss, and feel a  persistent tension between loyalty to one family and yearning for  another.

11. To you, the fathers, who were excluded from the lives of  your children and deprived of the dignity of recognition on your  children’s birth records, we say sorry. We acknowledge your loss and  grief.

12. We recognise that the consequences of forced adoption  practices continue to resonate through many, many lives. To you, the  siblings, grandparents, partners and other family members who have  shared in the pain and suffering of your loved ones or who were unable  to share their lives, we say sorry.

13. Many are still grieving. Some families will be lost to  one another forever. To those of you who face the difficulties of  reconnecting with family and establishing on-going relationships, we say sorry.

14. We offer this apology in the hope that it will assist  your healing and in order to shine a light on a dark period of our  nation’s history.

15. To those who have fought for the truth to be heard, we  hear you now. We acknowledge that many of you have suffered in silence  for far too long.

16. We are saddened that many others are no longer here to  share this moment.  In particular, we remember those affected by these  practices who took their own lives. Our profound sympathies go to their  families.

17. To redress the shameful mistakes of the past, we are  committed to ensuring that all those affected get the help they need,  including access to specialist counselling services and support, the  ability to find the truth in freely available records and assistance in  reconnecting with lost family.

18. We resolve, as a nation, to do all in our power to make  sure these practices are never repeated. In facing future challenges, we will remember the lessons of family separation. Our focus will be  on protecting the fundamental rights of children and on the importance  of the child’s right to know and be cared for by his or her parents.

19. With profound sadness and remorse, we offer you all our unreserved apology.