Royal Commission has so many cases..., by Janet Fife-Yeomans, Daily Telegraph (June 30, 2014)

One in four abusers are members of the clergy or religious order
Justice McClellan asks to extend its deadline to the end of 2017

THE child sex abuse royal commission needs another two years and $104 million to do its job, Commissioner Peter McClennan has said in the first of its long-awaited reports.

There have been more than 1000 individual institutions reported to the commission, with more than one in four child abusers being members of the clergy or religious orders.

The Catholic church was the worst culprit, with 68 per cent of abuse claims out of all the religious instutitions reported.

The commission estimated a shocking one in three girls and one in seven boys in Australia will be victims of some form of child sexual abuse in their lifetime.

The commission is due to wind up at the end of 2015 but Justice McClellan has asked the federal government to extend its deadline to the end of 2017.

Without that extension, September will be the cut off date for the six commissioners hearing any private sessions, leaving at least 3000 vulnerable people without a voice, Justice McClellan said.

In addition, the commission has identified another 70 areas which require public hearings.

The commission has so far held 15 public investigations which have uncovered systemic problems in organisations including the Salvation Army, Catholic church, Christian Brothers and the YMCA.

“This will enable us to hear from more of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged and from those survivors who have never disclosed their abuse.

“An investment of time and resources beyond 2015 is essential for the commission to properly fulfil its terms of reference and develop recommendations that make a difference.”

The two 648-page interim reports contain some of the most harrowing stories of abuse told to commissioners during private hearings.

They have reflected evidence from public hearings including that, despite being told what was happening, adults in positions of power did nothing to stop the abuse.

Perpetrators were also often moved from one region, diocese or state to another in the wake of complaints.

The commission has referred more than 160 matters to police for official investigation and reports that 86.6 per cent of child abusers are male.

Justice McClellan said extra time was needed to consider, among other issues, whether a national screening system for abusers was needed, to identify what institutions and governments should do to achieve “best practice” in reporting and responding to child sexual abuse and what they should do to ensure justice for victims includign civil litigation.