Australian Abuse Scandal: Payout For Britons

British migrants who were abused at a school in Australia have been awarded a record compensation payment.

The 150 former residents of Fairbridge Farm School won AUS$24m (£11.7m) in the largest compensation payment for survivors of mass child abuse in Australia's legal history.

In December 2009 the group brought a class action against the Australian and New South Wales governments after being physically and sexually abused at the notorious school between 1938 and 1974.

Their lawyer Roop Sandhu said the payout marks a major milestone, adding: "Our client have suffered a lifetime of serious physical and psychiatric injuries as a result of their time at Fairbridge.

"They were all vulnerable children in need of care and protection but instead they were subjected to horrific physical and sexual abuse which, in may cases, has scarred them for life."

The group were brought to Australia under a 20th century practice which saw thousands of underprivileged children sent to Australia without their parents in the hope of giving them a better life.

Hundreds of students - some as young as four - arrived from the UK at the school and never saw their parents again. It is estimated they were among up to 10,000 children brought to Australia, mostly from Britain, between 1947 and 1967 alone.

In the lawsuit, the 150 victims alleged the Fairbridge Foundation and the two governments allowed institutional abuse to develop and continue at the school over many years.

Lead claimant Geraldine Giles welcomed the settlement but added: "No amount of money can take the flashbacks and memories out of my head.

"But the settlement shows that what happened at Fairbridge should never have happened and that we deserved better."

Mrs Giles, fellow lead claimant Vivian Drady and the others had been preparing for an eight-week trial set for later this year but Mr Sandhu said the settlement had avoided this.

Mr Sandhu said Mrs Giles and Ms Drady had shown "immense courage and fortitude" in bringing the claim on behalf of the other victims "at a great personal and emotional toll".

The payout comes as Australia grapples with a national inquiry into institutional child sex abuse involving orphanages, community groups, schools and places of worship.