Catholic Church welcomes royal commission's call for national redress scheme for child sexual abuse victims, by Samantha Donovan, ABC News (September 15, 2015)

Catholic Church welcomes royal commission's call for national redress scheme for child sexual abuse victims

The Catholic Church has welcomed the recommendation of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse that a single national redress scheme be set up to compensate victims of institutional child sexual abuse.

The $4 billion scheme would offer compensation, counselling and psychological care and a response from the institution if requested.

The commission proposes the redress would be funded by the institutions where the abuse occurred.

CEO of the Catholic Church's Truth, Justice and Healing Council, which is handling the church's response to the royal commission, Francis Sullivan, said the redress scheme was something the church had been pushing for.

"The days of the Catholic Church investigating itself are over. This should be the case for all institutions," he said.

The royal commission has recommended a minimum payout to abuse survivors of $10,000, an average of $65,000 and a maximum of $200,000.

"It seems a reasonable figure. It's certainly a lot more on average than individuals have been receiving to date.

"What is important now is that governments at state and Commonwealth level indicate they they're going to get on and do this."

The royal commission wants the Federal Government to announce if it is willing to establish a national scheme by the end of this year.

If it rejects the proposal, the commission said state schemes covering government and non-government institutions were the next best option.

Either way, the commission wants the scheme, or schemes, to be accepting applications by mid 2017.

Under the proposal, governments would pay compensation for sexual abuse that happened in a state-run institutions and where a non-government institution no longer exits.

But it appears the Federal Government and several states and territories are reluctant to support the scheme.

South Australian Attorney-General John Rau said he and his interstate counterparts had concerns.

The royal commission are basically a bunch of Johnnie-come-latelies poking their nose into space where they can be all care and no responsibility because they don't intend paying any of the bills.

John Rau, South Australian Attorney-General

"I think it's important to note that just because this royal commission has made certain recommendations, that doesn't necessarily mean it is the Commonwealth Government's position," he said.

"I have very serious concerns about a royal commission that is prepared to make all sorts of recommendations, without any attention about how they might be paid for, other than sending a bill to all the states and territories."

Mr Rau said some states and territories already had long-standing compensation schemes.

"We have already dealt with a large number of people who were, for example, children in state care in the South Australian case," he said.

"What this royal commission is asking us to do is to basically pick the scabs off those old wounds and start all over again."

"The royal commission are basically a bunch of Johnnie-come-latelies poking their nose into space where they can be all care and no responsibility because they don't intend paying any of the bills."

The NSW Government said it welcomed the royal commission report and would consider the recommendation of a national redress scheme.

The Victorian Government said it would be seeking an indication from the Commonwealth as to whether it would join a national redress scheme.

The office of Federal Attorney-General George Brandis said the Government was carefully considering the royal commission's recommendations.