As support grows for a forced adoption inquiry in WA, there's hope for positive change nationwide

If survivors of forced adoption fighting for a parliamentary inquiry in Western Australia get their way, they believe it will be partly thanks to an Albany woman's traumatic story.

Danae only found out last year, at the age of 50, that she was adopted when, she said, a relative dropped the bombshell by text.

"I cried for I don't know how long … days and weeks," she said.

"It was like this big hole in the ground opened up and swallowed me in.

"It was overwhelming."

Danae, whose surname can't be published for legal reasons, has spent the last few months processing the "anger, rage and disbelief" of being denied the truth for 50 years.

She has also been on a painful journey to trace her true identity.

Government engaged in 'complete deception'

Ultimately, the 51-year-old holds the West Australian government responsible for what she calls a "complete deception".

Up until the moment she was told, Danae said she had no idea she had been adopted.

Apart from not being told by her adoptive parents, her birth certificate had their names on it.

Adding insult to injury, having discovered the truth, she then had to pay money to get hold of her real birth certificate.

Now she is calling on state governments across the country to make sure people who were adopted under the forced adoption era are informed by authorities and provided with support to deal with the trauma.

"There are still people walking around to this day that are holding onto a birth certificate that is complete fiction," she said.

"I say to the government, you need to open every single adoption and you need to follow through and check that people know."

It was that powerful message that Danae delivered to former WA Child Protection Minister Simone McGurk at a crucial meeting with other survivors of forced adoption late last year.

The meeting is now seen as a turning point in the survivors' campaign when Danae "held the room" while sharing her new reality with Ms McGurk.

Just a week later, Ms McGurk, who had previously been opposed to an inquiry, seemed to have a change of heart, referring the issue to a parliamentary committee.

The committee is still deliberating.

But now the current minister, Sabine Winton, has also backed an inquiry.

"I can only imagine the trauma and difficulty these terrible past practices have caused the mothers of children who were forcibly adopted, the children who are now adults, and their families," Ms Winton said in a statement.

"It's really important we work with them, and do all we can to ensure it cannot happen again."

"We're also reviewing the Commonwealth Senate and Victorian parliamentary inquiries, and considering how their recommendations may apply to the WA community."

Her statement means both sides of politics now back an inquiry, with Liberal Leader Libby Mettam reiterating her support on the weekend.

To varying degrees, state adoption laws across the country have evolved to recognise adoptees' right to know their identity in what's called "open adoption".

But under the forced adoption era, in many cases adoptive parents were advised not to tell children they were adopted.

Impact of secrecy lingers

Danae believes an unknown number of children, now adults, still don't know the truth.

Those who have found out late in life are referred to as "late discovery adoptees".

It's one of the issues Danae wants addressed in a WA inquiry if the committee decides in favour of it.

"So they closed the chapter on the closed adoptions but they didn't go back and check up on all those people that it's happened to," she said.

"The effects of the closed adoptions are still happening to this day."

Since finding out about her adoption, Danae has managed to trace her biological mother to the United States but sadly her mother does not want to continue corresponding at this time.

"That's the thing about being a late discovery adoptee," Danae said.

"You have to wonder, if I'd been made aware of this even at the age of 18, when I became an adult, which was 30-odd years ago, how different things would have been if I'd known," she said.

"To reconnect with a biological parent only 18 years after the fact, has got to be a lot easier than 50 years after the fact."

Inquiry needed to uncover the truth

Adoptees and mothers of infants who were removed say an inquiry is needed to uncover the truth of what happened.

They argue that Western Australia was the first state to apologise for forced adoption practices in 2010 but since then has done little to restore basic human rights to survivors.

Yesterday WA Premier Mark McGowans said he supported an inquiry and shared his personal connection to the cause.

"My grandmother died when I was 12 and I learned subsequently from my mother that she had an older sister that my grandmother was forced to give away when she was a young woman," Mr McGowan said.

"It was a bit of a revelation to me. It was a different era, I think it was back in the 1920s or 1930s it happened, but obviously caused a lot of pain, I suspect, to my grandmother."

Mr McGowan said the inquiry could explore issues like why forced adoptions happened, who was responsible, and what measures can be taken to support people, including ways of connecting forcibly adopted children with their birth mothers.

Danae agrees, saying adoptees like her need to be better supported to find their true identities and given free specialised counselling if they need it.

Asked if Danae's story had influenced her decision to refer the inquiry to the parliamentary committee, Simone McGurk said she had been entrusted with stories from many advocates.

"Historical forced adoption was a traumatic practice that left a long-lasting impact on those who were affected, and I have always believed they need our support," she said in a statement.

"During my time as Child Protection Minister, I was trusted with the stories from many advocates, some of whom expressed a desire to put their stories on the record under the protection of parliamentary privilege.

"Parliamentary inquiries can be incredibly valuable, but the process does take time. Once I was satisfied advocates were aware of that, I requested the committee consider an inquiry."