Prestigious School in Spotlight at Royal Commission

ABC
October 22, 2015

http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2015/s4337036.htm

TIM PALMER: The former head of one of Australia's most elite schools has spent hours in the witness box at the royal commission into child sex abuse.

Robert Bugg was campus headmaster of Geelong Grammar, investigated for its response to several abuse allegations.

Previous witnesses gave evidence that Mr Bugg contributed to expelling a student who make allegations of abuse.

Today Mr Bugg denied that, saying if he'd been told at the time he would have acted.

Tom Nightingale reports.

TOM NIGHTINGALE: Robert Bugg was the master of Geelong Grammar's Highton campus at a time when one staff member was committing devastating abuse.

Boarding house staffer Philippe Trutmann admitted to abusing 40 students over a decade ending in 1995.

Robert Bugg was questioned extensively about Trutmann today, and consistently denied knowing anything was wrong.

DAVID LLOYD: If he had transgressed to your knowledge in an important way, what, if any, action would have been taken?

ROBERT BUGG: It would be immediate and swift. I would've probably investigated, but as one has to be a bit - I always felt one had to be wary about the facts.

If he'd transgressed, I probably would've talked to John Lewis, and then John Lewis and I would've brought him in and discussed the matter and dealt with it accordingly.

TOM NIGHTINGALE: The commission has previously heard a witness claim Mr Bugg was told of sexual abuse and Philippe Trutmann wasn't investigated.

A former student gave evidence he informed Mr Bugg he was abused, only to be expelled.

DAVID LLOYD: I appreciate you say you have no recollection, but I'm just asking that ultimate decision, school policy was followed, would be...

ROBERT BUGG: I could not sack a child, I could not expel a child off my own bat. We were always in consultation with the headmaster, and also with the staff as well, it was a quite collaborative process.

TOM NIGHTINGALE: Mr Bugg repeatedly told the commission he could not recall details.

DAVID LLOYD: Not a question here, Mr Bugg, of you feigning memory loss?

ROBERT BUGG: No, I'm not feigning memory loss, I find that quite distressing to be said.

TOM NIGHTINGALE: One lawyer, Dyson Hore-Lacy, told the commission the expelled student's family was then billed for $2,500 in fees.

He said the family at the time threatened to have the expulsion explained in court, at which point the school dropped the outstanding fees.

DYSON HORE-LACY: What I suggest to you was that in fact the reason why no further action was taken was because it was well known why the boy was expelled and it was well known he was expelled because he made an allegation against a member of staff and as a result of that directly or indirectly he was expelled. What do you say to that?

ROBERT BUGG: I don't have anything to say to that, I've nothing to say.

DYSON HORE-LACY: Can you think of any other explanation why suddenly, after receiving a letter such as that, the school would just forget about the fees?

ROBERT BUGG: No.

TOM NIGHTINGALE: Late this afternoon, the school's current commercial director Andrew Moore was called.

He's authorised to handle settlements with former students who've been abused.

He was asked why settlements include confidentiality clauses.

ANDREW MOORE: Confidentiality obviously works both ways and there were the odd survivor that did not want confidentiality coming out from, or a breach of confidentiality from the school.

I can understand the survivors' concern about some of the clauses in those confidentiality agreements, correction, in those settlement agreements in general, but we were, I was advised by our legal team and our insurers that they were standard deeds, and in fact most of the solicitors that were representing the survivors also thought they were standard deeds.

TOM NIGHTINGALE: The commission will resume tomorrow morning.

TIM PALMER: Tom Nightingale reporting.