For some survivors of child sexual abuse in institutions, Monday's official apology was a powerful step.
Others left Canberra's Parliament House in anger.
Rick Venero only came forward when his best friend took his own life after they had both been abused at a Marist Brothers school in Sydney.
"It meant a great deal. It's fantastic to get that (apology) from the Australian people," Mr Venero told AAP on Monday.
But now he wants action against the institutions who destroyed records and moved pedophiles.
"It's pretty shattering actually, to come here and everyone's behind it, and the power of these institutions means that nothing's really happening," he said.
Phylis Read was put in an orphanage in Ballarat and used to call out to people outside trying to tell them what was happening to the children.
"Sorry is never going to be enough, I think, with a lot of people. It's better than nothing, is my view," she told AAP.
"I'm grateful I've at least been heard, my siblings have been heard. We're not being punished any more and continuously being told that we're lying."
Ms Read says governments need to stop taking children from their parents.
"Stop taking children and lying about it and saying they only come from abusive homes," she said.
Niall Baird was raped by a chaplain on HMAS Leeuwin, as one of 271 victims from the same base.
He yelled out several times during Prime Minister Scott Morrison's speech because there was no mention of military victims.
"I thought today was going to be a great day. I came here expecting closure," he told AAP.
"I'm ropeable, absolutely ropeable."
Mr Baird said he wanted the federal government to acknowledge it was responsible for what happened to people in its care.
"We've got some people here who did report it at the time and got kicked out," he said.
"They're just still covering it up and that's wrong."
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