Former Toowoomba bishop calls for national child abuse reporting system

ABC - PM
February 24, 2014

http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2014/s3951269.htm?site=southqld

MARK COLVIN: The former bishop of Toowoomba says he's still stunned by the failure of senior Catholic Education staff to report allegations that a teacher was sexually abusing his students.

Emeritus Bishop William Morris was the head of the Toowoomba Archdiocese when Gerard Byrnes sexually abused 13 girls at a primary school in 2007 and 2008.

Today he told the child abuse royal commission that a culture of doubting allegations needs to be stamped out and a national approach was needed to make that happen.

Stephanie Smail reports.

STEPHANIE SMAIL: The child abuse royal commission has been investigating how staff and Catholic Church officials dealt with allegations of sexual offences against veteran teacher Gerard Byrnes.

The former bishop of Toowoomba, William Morris, told the inquiry he was unaware of complaints against Byrnes until his arrest in late 2008.

Bishop Morris was asked by counsel assisting the inquiry, Gail Furness, about the string of failures that allowed Byrnes to keep teaching.

GAIL FURNESS: Byrnes was not removed as a student protection officer, notwithstanding the allegations made?

WILLIAM MORRIS: Failure.

GAIL FURNESS: Nor was he adequately monitored following the allegations in September 2007?

WILLIAM MORRIS: Failure.

GAIL FURNESS: Byrnes was subsequently employed as a relief teacher in 2008?

WILLIAM MORRIS: A failure.

GAIL FURNESS: That was the significant failure, wasn't it?

WILLIAM MORRIS: It was.

GAIL FURNESS: It enabled him to continue...

WILLIAM MORRIS: Yes.

GAIL FURNESS: ...to offend.

WILLIAM MORRIS: Yes.

STEPHANIE SMAIL: The commission has heard the former school principal Terry Hayes received a complaint from a Year Four girl and her father in 2007 that Byrnes had put his hands down her shirt and up her skirt.

Mr Hayes told his superiors, Christopher Fry and Ian Hunter, but none of them reported the child abuse claims to police.

Gail Furness put that to Bishop Morris.

GAIL FURNESS: How could it be that given their experience, given the training, and given the presence of a law requiring reporting, let alone a policy doing the same thing, that each of the three could have failed to recognise what was before them?

WILLIAM MORRIS: It's stunning, I know. I can't, I can't get my head around it. I said to someone, well, we spoke about it recently: it's not rocket science. Touching is not rocket science, and how we could miss it.

But then the other day we saw a question put to a witness concerning, say, hands in pants, and the question came back saying "Was it on the bottom of the pants?" And I'm thinking, are we going to go down that track again? Like, why don't they get it?

STEPHANIE SMAIL: Bishop Morris eventually fired Mr Hayes, Mr Fry and Mr Hunter.

He was responsible for meeting with the victims and their families after Byrnes was arrested and charged.

The commission heard 11 of the victims have claimed compensation and received payouts between $260,000 and about $440,000 each.

William Morris was asked if a culture of doubt exists among some authorities about complaints of child sexual abuse.

He told the commission there should be tougher measures for dealing with people who don't report allegations of harm.

WILLIAM MORRIS: I suppose you've got to start off with fear, haven't you? Like, if you don't do it, you get into real strife. And it's unfortunate, but I think probably that will instil a little bit of the fact that if we get a report, we've got to do it. It's almost like that. So hopefully through the process of education, education, education, we gradually get to the point where you don't think anymore.

STEPHANIE SMAIL: Bishop Morris told the inquiry national child sex abuse regulations should be set up to make reporting requirements clear.

WILLIAM MORRIS: I think we need to develop a system, and I think this is why it's got to be nationally, not just state by state but nationally, because when we get into a car, we don't think about what side of the road we're going to drive on. When we're dealing with schools, with regards to professional standards and touching and so on, we shouldn't have to think. It should be just the fact that we get the report and we make the report and we put it into the professionals to do the investigation. It shouldn't be a thinking thing.

STEPHANIE SMAIL: The child abuse royal commission has now finished its hearings in Brisbane.

But before wrapping up this afternoon, commissioner Jennifer Coate said that any parents of victims with further concerns can approach the commission at any stage.

JENNIFER COATE: There may be parents in addition to those who have provided statements to the royal commission to date who wish to talk to us about the police investigation into Mr Byrnes and other matters related to the conduct of Mr Byrnes. We strongly encourage any parent to make contact with the royal commission.

MARK COLVIN: Commissioner Jennifer Coate ending Stephanie Smail's report.