Julia Gillard sorry for 'shameful' forced adoptions

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has issued an apology to people affected by Australia's forced adoption policy between the 1950s and 1970s.

Tens of thousands of babies of unmarried, mostly teenage mothers, were thought to have been taken by the state and given to childless married couples.

Speaking in front of hundreds of the victims, Ms Gillard said the "shameful" policy had created "a legacy of pain".