Date Set for Child Abuse Public Hearing

The Australian
August 14, 2013

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/breaking-news/date-set-for-child-abuse-public-hearing/story-fn3dxiwe-1226697135425

ORGANISATIONS that handled child sex abuse claims against a former Aboriginal children's services CEO will be in focus in Sydney next month, when the new royal commission begins holding public hearings.

The first public hearing of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse will start on September 16 and run for up to a week.

It will specifically look at how organisations responded to child sex abuse allegations made against former CEO of Hunter Aboriginal Children's Services, Steven Larkins.

Larkins was sentenced to a maximum of 22 months jail last year after being convicted of possessing child pornography.

He was also convicted of falsifying documents to keep his job at Hunter Aboriginal Children's Services.

The hearing will examine how information regarding the allegations was shared between organisations including Scouts Australia, Hunter Aboriginal Children's Services and the-then Department of Community Services.

It will also review how the Working With Children Check was conducted and assessed, and whether organisational factors may have influenced responses to allegations and information.

An ad will appear in major newspapers on Thursday calling for individuals to appear, a royal commission spokesman told AAP. Written applications need to be made via the commission's website by August 26.

Royal commission CEO Janette Dines reiterated the commission was not set up to examine individual cases of alleged abuse.

"The Royal Commission has been asked to look at where systems have failed children in the past and identify what institutions and government should do to better protect children in the future," Ms Dines said on Wednesday.

The royal commission is holding private sessions in Canberra this week.

More than 5000 people are expected to share their stories with the commission, which held its first hearing in Melbourne in April but did not take any evidence.

Its chairman, Justice Peter McClellan, has previously said the inquiry is unlikely to meet its final deadline of late 2015.