Victoria to Hold Wide-Ranging Inquiry into Church Sex Abuse Cases

By John Ferguson
The Australian
April 17, 2012

www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/victoria-to-hold-wide-ranging-inquiry-into-church-sex-abuse-cases/story-e6frg6nf-1226330043322

Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne, Denis Hart, has vowed to co-operate fully with an inquiry into child sex abuse.

A WIDE-ranging inquiry into the handling of criminal abuse by religious organisations has been announced by the Baillieu government.

But the government rejected a royal commission and opted for a parliamentary investigation.

The terms of reference include whether there needs to be a legal overhaul to improve reporting processes and to better protect children.

The inquiry does not isolate the Catholic Church but includes all religions and also other non-government organisations.

The inquiry will have powers to compel witnesses to give evidence.

""We regard child abuse as abhorrent.", Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu said.

"This abuse has had traumatic consequences for victims and their families."

The matter was put to coalition MPs at a meeting today.

Earlier, Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart today vowed to cooperate fully with any independent child sex abuse inquiry, which is seen as increasingly likely to be set up.

This followed reports of dozens of suicides linked with old sex abuse cases involving a small number of Catholic priests, although it is acknowledged that other religions have been infected by child sex offenders.

Archbishop Hart today said that any inquiry "may well clear the air" but that the church would wait to see what terms of reference would be drawn up for any investigation.

He also defended the church's handling of sex abuse cases, claiming that the church preferred victims to lay complaints with police but that it was up to the victims to take this step.

"I emphatically agree that it is the job of the police to investigate crime. That's their role, but when a victim comes - this is the difficult point - to the independent commissioner he comes in a special kind of confidence" he told 3AW.

"The problem is that many victims don't want to go to the police, either because they've been before, or the offender is dead, or because the possibility of a court investigation and so on is so traumatic."

The issue of an inquiry is considered highly sensitive for the church as well as the Baillieu government.