Newsday - Australia apologises to thalidomide survivors - BBC Sounds

In Australia, the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has issued an apology to survivors and families affected by thalidomide.

The drug was given to mothers in Australia and globally in the 1950s and the early 1960s for morning sickness, and was later found to cause malformation of limbs, facial features and internal organs of their babies.

There are 146 people registered with the Australian Thalidomide Survivors Support Program, but the exact number of those affected is unknown. Newsday heard the reaction to the apology from Trish Jackson, one of the youngest survivors of thalidomide who uses her feet to paint.

"The apology is recognition that the government failed to protect Australian citizens and will finally put things right for us. The system is very time consuming and physically demanding to fill in all those forms [to claim health benefits] so while the apology is awesome they need to fix that too."

"It's very isolating. It's only now that we can find other survivors, with the internet. There was a time I never left my house Every time you walk outside you get laughed at... sometimes adults are nastier than kids."

"I used to visit schools before Covid in little country towns... kids would drag their parents over and say 'come look at Trish - she's awesome'. "