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	Church Protects Its Money - Abuse Victim Herald Sun June 22, 2009 http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25672316-5005961,00.html?from=public_rss THE Anglican Church's refusal to scrap an age limit for child sex abuse claims shows the church is protecting its money rather than its flock, says an abuse victim. All states set a time limit, known as the statute of limitations, for personal injury victims to bring their cases to court. In Queensland, a victim is required to launch legal action by the time they turn 21. A motion calling for the Anglican Church to refrain from invoking the statute was rejected at the Brisbane synod yesterday. However, the synod passed an amended motion asking Archbishop Phillip Aspinall to negotiate with insurers on a protocol for dealing with child sex abuse claims when the diocese considers it appropriate not to invoke the time limitation defence, without losing indemnity from the insurers. A victim of child sex abuse, identified only as Tom, says a fear of going bankrupt prevents the Anglican Church from observing its moral responsibility to protect the community. "We still have to prove assault occurred, that the school knew about it and it was negligent," he said. Tom is a litigant in a case against the Anglican Church, which has acknowledged he was sexually assaulted at a Brisbane Anglican school in the early 1990s. However, as Tom is over 21 he has had to lodge his claim through an application to extend time limits after suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, which rendered him unable to work in his professional field. Legal expenses have already cost him $20,000, but it is uncertain whether his claim will even be heard in court. Bravehearts founder and executive director Hetty Johnston expressed disappointment at the outcome of the vote. "The church should not walk away from victims ... people's lives are at stake here," she said. However, a church spokesman said Archbishop Aspinall was pushing for a uniform national statute of at least 37 years of age - the current level in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. The church would also write to insurers to get them to waive the time provision for cases where they deem it appropriate, he said.
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