Charities, Churches to Address Child Abuse Compensation

Pro Bono Australia
March 12, 2015

http://www.probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2015/03/charities-churches-address-child-abuse-compensation#

Charities, churches and Governments will have a chance to outline their positions on compensation to victims of child sexual abuse at an upcoming Royal Commission hearing.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has announced that it will hold a public hearing into possible redress schemes for abuse survivors.

The hearing will enable institutions and Governments to formally respond to a consultation paper released in January this year which claimed that victims could receive up to $4.378 billion in compensation.

CEO of the Truth Justice and Healing Council, which is coordinating the Catholic Church’s engagement with the Royal Commission, Francis Sullivan, said the hearing will be one of the significant milestones in the work of the Royal Commission.

“The issue of redress is at the very heart of the Commission’s work,” Sullivan said.

“During this hearing we will hear from institutions, including the Catholic Church, on how fair and just redress could, and should, be delivered to abuse survivors.

“We will also hear, hopefully, from Governments around Australia, on how they intend to approach redress for survivors of abused in government-run homes, orphanages and other institutions.”

Sullivan said the Catholic Church would largely support the Royal Commission’s suggestions regarding redress.

“The Commission’s preferred option of a single national redress scheme led by the Australian Government with the participation of state and territory governments and non-government institutions is broadly in line with the Church’s submission on redress,” he said.

“This scheme would also provide for counselling, psychological care and other services, again, paid for by the responsible institutions.

“It would effectively provide consistent, easy access to redress for all survivors of child sexual abuse regardless of where or when the abuse occurred.”

The hearing will commence Wednesday 25 March 2015 at 10:00am in Sydney and will be streamed live at www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au.