Vic Inquiry May Start Abuse Reform: Parent

The West Australian
April 3, 2013

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/national/16523492/vic-inquiry-may-start-abuse-reform-parent/

Parents of abuse victims say they hope to see legal changes to right the wrongs of the past start as early as this year.

Anthony Foster said it was important for governments to introduce laws that will enable the Catholic Church and other organisations to be brought to task for what they have done in the past.

He and his wife Chrissie hope the Victorian parliamentary inquiry into institutional abuse, which is already well underway, will enable this to happen sooner rather than later.

"We can start to see that action being taken this year," Mr Foster said after the first hearing of the royal commission into institutional sexual abuse in Melbourne on Wednesday.

"Things could change very quickly and the commission was very clear today saying they will look to whatever changes happen within states to be propagated throughout other states."

Mrs Foster said she was confident the royal commission could make a real difference.

"It's an amazing thing to sit in there with those powerful people and hear what they're going to do for future children and right the wrongs of the past," she said.