Gleeson Defends Melbourne Reponse’s $17m Admin Cost

By Pia Akerman
The Australian
August 22, 2014

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/gleeson-defends-melbourne-reponses-17m-admin-cost/story-e6frg6nf-1227033209672

Cardinal George Pell, pictured in Sydney, has defended the Vatican’s decision not to give the Royal Commission access to its files on Australian pedophile priests. Source: News Corp Australia

THE $17 million cost of administering the Melbourne archdiocese’s response to clergy child sex abuse - equal to the amount spent on compensation and counselling - has been defended by the man seen as the scheme’s new chief.

Jeffrey Gleeson QC has been described as the likely successor to Peter O’Callaghan as the sole independent commissioner of the Melbourne Response - under which sex abuse claims are investigated and counselling and capped compensation provided for victims - if it continues in the absence of a national redress scheme.

The pair have been working together to investigate complaints since 2012. The royal commission investigating institutional responses to child sexual abuse has heard that the Melbourne Response has spent $17.2 million on ex gratia payments, counselling and medical treatment since it was established in 1996 by then archbishop George Pell. But $17m has been spent on administration costs in the same period, and the average compensation payment has been $36,100.

Mr Gleeson today told the royal commission those administration expenses were fair given the nature of the scheme. “The monies spent administering a scheme to deal with complaints about child sexual abuse are about more than money,” he said. “We are administering more than the doling out of money “We are administering the emergence of truth...I think that’s money well spent.”

Evidence given by Cardinal Pell to the commission last night has prompted outrage among many abuse survivors and their families.

Nicky Davis, Australian representative of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) condemned Cardinal Pell’s defence of the Vatican’s decision not to give the commission broad access to its files to explore all communications to Rome about Australian pedophile priests. “Cardinal Pell is hiding details of crimes committed on Australia soil against Australian children behind specious claims to be a sovereign state,” she said. “Australian survivors and the Royal Commission have been slapped in the face by church officials’ arrogance and belief they are above the law. “The Australian government must move to immediately withhold all tax breaks and other forms of taxpayer funding until the Catholic Church cooperates with all Royal Commission requests, and no longer covers up and enables the widespread and systemic rape of Australia’s children.”

The commission’s hearings in Melbourne continue.