Child Sex Abuse Royal Commission: Catholic Church Says Rejection of National Compensation and Support Scheme Surprising

By Jessica Kidd
ABC News
March 26, 2015

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-26/rejection-national-scheme-support-child-abuse-victims-surprising/6349940

[Submissions on redress and civil litigation]

PHOTO: Catholic Church Truth Justice and Healing Council chief Francis Sullivan is disappointed by the rejection of a national victims' scheme. (AAP Image: Paul Miller)

The Federal Government's rejection of a proposal for a national compensation and support scheme for victims of child sexual abuse is surprising, the Catholic Church's Truth, Justice and Healing Council chief says.

Francis Sullivan appeared before the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse this morning to present the Catholic Church's proposal for a victim's redress scheme.

Mr Sullivan said the church supported a national scheme administered by the Federal Government and funded by the institutions responsible for abuse.

But he expressed his surprise that the Federal Government disagreed with a national model, which was widely supported by most institutions and victim advocacy groups.

"It's surprising to say the least that the Government initiated the call to the royal commission and yet the Commonwealth Government has so quickly discounted itself from one of the fundamental issues we have to address," Mr Sullivan said.

He said compensating victims needed to be handled independently.

"The days of the Church doing its own investigations are over," he said.

"We need an independent process and if it can't be established within the initiative and motivation of governments then we have to get creative."

'Urgent need' for child migrant support

The royal commission heard the Federal Government must shoulder the responsibility of supporting former child migrants who were abused under its care.

We bared our souls and relived the horror night after night, only to feel demoralised yet again. Jennifer Aldrick, former ward of the state

British children as young as four were sent to Australia as cheap labour in the post-war years as part of the Commonwealth Child Migration Scheme.

Dr Margaret Humphreys from the Child Migrant Trust told the hearing there is an urgent need for child migrants to be supported under a national victim's redress scheme.

She told the commission it was not an option for the Federal Government to deny its responsibility.

"Although delegated to the states and in turn subcontracted to various institutions, former child migrants remained the responsibility of the Federal Government that had authorised their removal to this country," Dr Humphreys said.

Former ward of the state 'demoralised' after support scheme cut

A former ward of the state told the royal commission she felt hopeless and alone when Western Australia cut funding to its victim support scheme.

Jennifer Aldrick told the commission Western Australia operated a redress scheme for four years until 2011.

But she said a decision to halve the scheme's payouts to survivors in 2009 was profoundly upsetting.

"We bared our souls and relived the horror night after night, only to feel demoralised yet again, which confirmed the abuse we suffered as children was not seen in the eyes of authority as worthy of honouring the promise made," Ms Aldrick said.

YMCA supports national scheme

The YMCA has also expressed support for a single national scheme in its submission to the commission but said it would create its own redress scheme, rather than wait for a national approach.

The organisation's own scheme, which would require approval by all 24 of the YMCA's national groups, would offer redress and support for anyone abused within the YMCA or by its staff.

YMCA chief executive Ron Mell told the commission a standalone scheme was preferable because people abused within the organisation need access to justice sooner, rather than later.

"We recognise that we cannot wait for a Government response and that we need to build a nationally consistent YMCA approach now," he said.

"This view has been reinforced by the Commonwealth's response to the commission's discussion papers."

Expert says counselling must be part of any support scheme

Family law expert Professor Patrick Parkinson said ongoing psychological care must form part of any national support scheme.

Professor Parkinson, from the University of Sydney, told the commission he believed the scheme must include a provision for long-term counselling and psychological care of victims.

"My preferred solution is that the organisations, through a trust fund, provide reasonable gap funding beyond the amount that Medicare provides," he said.

"And beyond the amount, if it is a private health insurer, the private health insurer provides."

The royal commission is hearing submissions from 38 government and non-government institutions about the formation of a victims' support scheme which would provide access to justice and reparations.

In its consultation paper on the issue, the commission said its preferred model was a single national scheme overseen by the Commonwealth.

But the Federal Government rejected the idea in its written submission to the commission, saying a national scheme would require protected negotiations with the states as well as significant time and resources to establish.

The hearings run until Friday afternoon.