Give Abuse Inquiry Time and Money: Abbott

By Patrick Caruana
NEWS.com.au
April 4, 2013

http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/national/give-abuse-inquiry-time-and-money-abbott/story-e6frfku9-1226612453528

THE royal commission into institutional child abuse should be given the time and money it needs to do its job, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says.

At the commission's first hearing, chairman Justice Peter McClellan said the inquiry would be unlikely to meet its deadlines because of the volume of evidence and the scope of the terms of reference.

The commission was due to provide an interim report by the middle of next year and complete its work before the end of 2015, Justice McClellan said on Wednesday.

Justice McClellan said the commission, which has so far cost $22 million, would continue to require "very significant sums of public money".

Mr Abbott said the commission would be given the resources it needs if the coalition wins the election in September.

"We support it and we want it to do its job properly," he told Fairfax Radio on Thursday.

"If that means giving it the right funding and the right time, then yes we will."

The first sitting day also prompted several organisations to release their wishlists of possible recommendations they would like to see from the commission.

Mental health initiative beyondblue called for the commission to focus on caring for victims, rather than just chasing perpetrators.

"We hope the government takes this opportunity to lead the way in offering support," beyondblue CEO Kate Carnell said.

Legal firm Slater & Gordon and the Australian Lawyers Alliance both asked the commission to examine the barriers stopping victims from taking civil action against religious bodies.