Remarkable how history repeats mistakes and leaders never seem to heed its lessons, no matter how hard they’re hit in the face.

Pick a subject – economics, warfare, politics, law and order, business – blunders attached to so many areas of human enterprise are on high rotation across the Western world, the developing world, everywhere.

The high ideals and performances sought in democracies are better than in totalitarian, ideological or terror-based governments. But scratch the surface and you’ll find that’s still not saying much.

Corruption, malfeasance, torture and abuse are endemic in the most enlightened of natsions. Stupidity too but perhaps worst of all, hubris. Recent events simply cements this observation.

How else can you describe the simpering political reaction to the shocking life and death of poor Kumanjayi Little Baby in Alice Springs in appallingly ignored war-zone conditions?

Or the stratospherically stupid Western Australia government appealing a payout it’s already made to a victim of institutionalised sexual abuse – costing twice what the victim initially would have settled for – and all up spending a total $4m, thus far, to guard against similar claims after dropping a 2018 statute of limitations?

What can you say about an Aboriginal kid returned to abusive parents and family by a court claiming the kid’s long-term interests are best served by staying on country?

In recent years, I’ve written some 30 stories with victims of institutionalised sexual abuses, each a harrowing, disturbing account of mistreatment aggravated by being dismissed, ignored by purportedly professional carers.

One woman, as a young teen, punched herself repeatedly in the stomach to avoid pregnancy. She was raped by priests, parents, family, infected with VD, strapped, separated from siblings, used as slave labour and denied access to her files.

Another woman was bashed, raped, molested by family and ‘friends’, jailed as a juvenile, subjected to virginity internals, had four kids by 20, the first at 13. Also threatened with broom handles, suffered a disastrous youthful marriage, lost two kids – one to suicide after driving in a car stack that killed the other.

She also lost a grandson, car stack again, but pulled the story on me, worried people would think she was whingeing.

I remember also a malevolent teacher who raped young boys at the back of the schoolroom with class in progress, other kids threatened with violence and too terrified to turn around.

Others again played the God card to keep their victims quiet. Just shockers.

But after royal commissions, inquiries, apologies, undertakings, legal cases, what do we have?

Nothing that adds up to jack-shit.

Institutional care remains a farcical aberration of what it should be. Care equals abuse and plenty more to come.

Lip service, weasel words, hypocrisy, lying, pietism, cant, sanctimony – that’s all being offered troubled kids, troubled survivors.

And redress for survivors? No surprises there, too little too late. And survivors are freaking out at the prospect of going back into care – aged care.

There’s another story again, but these guys have heard it all before.

This article appeared in the Geelong Advertiser 26 May 2026.