Ten years on from Tasmania apologising for forced adoptions, many victims are still reeling

Christine Burke vividly remembers the day she arrived at the Elim Maternity Hospital, run by the Salvation Army, as an unmarried pregnant 17-year-old.

Key points:

Christine Burke had to sign over her daughter for adoption in 1968

Nearly 18 years later she was reunited with her eldest daughter

States are being urged to follow Victoria's lead and introduce a redress scheme for people involved in forced adoptions

The Hobart grandmother was given no choice but to sign over her daughter for adoption in 1968, despite being in a loving relationship with the child's father whom she married years later.

The entire experience left her traumatised.

"I was tied to a bed and made to give birth by myself ... it was a baby farm and there was no love," Ms Burke said.

"I remember a woman coming in and catching my daughter just before she slumped over the edge of the bed."

Ms Burke made a promise to her baby that she would find her.

Nearly 18 years later she was reunited with her eldest daughter, and considers herself "lucky" because of it.

"I have my daughter back in our life and her children are in our life, as well as her adoptive family," she said.

A woman holding a photo album with a child's photos in it.

Ms Burke made a promise to her baby that she would find her.(ABC News: Maren Preuss)

But Ms Burke can never get back the lost years, and like many other mothers she still lives with the scars caused by adoption practices from the 1950s to 1980s.

Tuesday marked 10 years since Tasmania acknowledged the pain and suffering caused by forced adoptions.

Then-premier Lara Giddings, who delivered the formal apology on October 18, 2012, said it was significant in recognising the wrong that was done.

"Now that I've had my own child, and I've gone through pregnancy and through childbirth, I understand the pain even deeper than I did the day I delivered the apology," Ms Giddings said.

"Some of these mothers never got to set eyes on their child, they didn't know if they had a son or daughter, and that's just unforgivable."

For Ms Burke, the apology was an important step in the healing process.

"The women that were called liars, sluts, prostitutes and all the rest of it, were vindicated," she said.

A woman sitting on the couch with a dog next to her.

It's been 10 years since Tasmania acknowledged the pain and suffering caused by forced adoptions.(ABC News: Maren Preuss)

Adoptees also impacted by adoption practices

Launceston adoptee Leigh Hubbard always knew he was adopted. While he had a happy childhood, he often wondered why he was given up or wasn't wanted.

"You adopt a family that you want to feel close to but you also feel like they are not quite yours," Mr Hubbard said.

"There's a psychological effect of loss of identity or finding out you are adopted when you've lived your whole life under an illusion, so the effects can be different for different people."

Mr Hubbard was at Parliament House in Hobart on the day of the apology and said it finally gave people affected by historical forced adoption practices the validation they needed.

"Many people carried guilt and shame for decades so the apology really gave them a sense that it wasn't their fault, that they were forced to do it," he said.

A woman smiling standing outside.

Lara Giddings said the apology was significant in recognising the wrong that was done. (ABC News: Maren Preuss)

"But what happened after that wasn't enough in my view, the grieving and loss and scarring just doesn't go away because of the apology."

There are growing calls for the Tasmanian government to open the way for victims to seek compensation, similar to what Victoria did when it announced a redress scheme.

"I would ask the state government to consider either a compensation process that sits out of the legal system, or a change to the legislation that allows the statute of limitations to be lifted," Ms Giddings said.

"These mothers, fathers and children deserve to have the opportunity to be heard, like all of us have an opportunity to be heard when the law is broken against us."

States urged to look at introducing a redress scheme

VANISH has been supporting adults affected by adoption for more than 30 years, helping more than 200 searches for parents and children each year.

CEO Charlotte Smith said it was important for other states follow Victoria's lead in introducing a redress scheme, particularly because it was a recommendation from a Senate Inquiry in 2012.

"It's disappointing it has taken this long, so it is essential that other states look at this," she said.

"Traditionally, services like VANISH have been focused on search and support, but what we've realised over time that more specialised services are needed that incorporates counselling or creative therapies."

Despite high demand from people affected by forced adoption practices, Ms Smith believes many services remain underfunded.

"People need support at different stages of their life, so it's time for post-adoption support to be recognised as a sector and funded like many other sectors for vulnerable groups are," she said.

Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff said he was always willing to engage with people on the issue of redress, particularly people that have been traumatised by past practices.

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