Child sex abuse royal commission to hold Ballarat public hearing

ABC News
April 29, 2015

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-29/child-sex-abuse-royal-commission-to-hold-ballarat/6429628

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse will hold a public hearing in Ballarat next month.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse will hold a public hearing in Ballarat from May 19.

The commission has held public hearings in every Australian capital city.

This year it will hold open hearings in regional Australia for the first time, starting in Ballarat.

It said the city had a deeply disturbing history of institutional sexual abuse.

It will hear the experiences of survivors and the impact of abuse on the town's families and social fabric.

Ballarat survivor Andrew Collins said it was great news.

"That's very important not only for the victims but also for the community because they get a chance to hear what's actually happened in their home towns and what happened around them," he said.

Mr Collins said he was looking forward to the chance to give evidence.

"A lot of survivors have been doing some work with the royal commission, preparing for this and to be honest we can't wait for them to come," he said.

"We think it'll be an eye-opening time."

The commission has set aside time to be in Ballarat until June 5.

It is yet to release the hearing's full scope and purpose.