Salvo Commissioner Weeps during Evidence

By Annette Blackwell
Courier Mail
February 10, 2014

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/breaking-news/salvo-interest-in-redress-for-abused/story-fnihsfrf-1226822554324

A SENIOR Salvation Army officer has broken down in tears as he gave evidence about child sex abuse in institutions run by the army.

Commissioner James Condon wept as he recounted details of alleged sexual abuse by Major John McIver, whom he suspended late last month.

"I heard about the extremity of the violence and the so-called corporal punishment ... that is what impacted me the most," Mr Condon told the royal commission into child sexual abuse.

Mr Condon, who is in charge of the Queensland, NSW and ACT divisions of the army, said he made the decision to suspend Major McIver primarily because he had heard survivors tell their stories at the commission.

"I have been impacted greatly .. I have felt their pain and that is the reason I took the decision to suspend ... McIver," Mr Condon said.

At this stage he had to pause because of his distress in the witness box.

Mr Condon told the commission how he had spoken to one victim who had contacted him via social networking site Facebook to report alleged abuse by Major McIver.

The commission has heard numerous allegations against Mr McIver and four other officers of sexual and physical abuse in NSW and Queensland boys homes in the 1970s.

"Every episode of child sexual abuse, excessive punishment, violence, neglect or verbal cruelty inflicted on a child in our case was wrong," Mr Condon told the hearing.

But he described it as "the collision of failures rather than the conspiracy of cover-ups" by the army.

He said the failures were in policy, regulations, supervision and training.

When asked by Simeon Beckett, counsel assisting the commission if he accepted that the army's regulations were breached, Mr Condon replied: "Absolutely. Yes."

"We are sorry, deeply sorry".

Mr Condon said the man who had contacted him via Facebook was now talking to the Salvation Army Professional Standards office.