Labor Promises $33m Compensation Scheme for Child Sexual Abuse Survivors
By Shalailah Medhora
Up to 60,000 adult survivors of child sex abuse could receive monetary compensation through a national redress scheme if Labor wins office at the next federal election, the party announced on Tuesday. Labor will set aside $33m for the creation of a scheme aimed at offering counselling services and compensation for survivors of institutional child sex abuse. The money includes $20m for the formation of a national body and advisory council to help implement the scheme. The agency would report to the federal attorney general. There would be three broad goals for the national scheme: The chance for survivors to receive a direct personal response from their abuser or the institution that housed their abuser Monetary compensation for the abuse suffered Counselling and psychological support that is accessible through the course of their lives. The redress scheme was recommended by the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse, in its final report on redress and civil litigation. As many as 60,000 people could be eligible for between $10,000 and $200,000 in compensation, the report found. The average compensation payment will be $65,000. The cost of redress should be met by the perpetrators of abuse, with the Commonwealth and state and territory governments only stepping in as a last resort, the commission said. In a statement released by the opposition leader, Bill Shorten, and number of shadow ministers, Labor said it would find $33m for the national body through already announced savings measures, including cracking down on multinational tax dodgers, reducing superannuation tax concessions and scrapping the emissions reduction fund. “Labor established the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse to give the thousands of people affected by these evil crimes an opportunity to finally be heard. But we always knew this would only be the start of the process of healing,” the statement said. “The establishment of a national redress scheme is the next important step.” The royal commission, established in January 2013, has received nearly 26,000 calls from survivors, and referred more than 760 cases to law enforcement authorities. The president of Adults Surviving Childhood Abuse (Asca), Cathy Kezelman, said that the sharp rise in the number of older Australians meant that a redress scheme must be urgently implemented. “We urge the Turnbull government to show leadership, and working with the states and territories to commit to the national redress scheme before it is too late,” Kezelman said on Monday. She acknowledged that the costs involved in the scheme are “significant”, but said they are “far less than those of inaction”. The attorney general, George Brandis, is looking at the commission’s report on redress, which was released in September. “The government is carefully considering the royal commission’s recommendations and will consult with state and territories before committing to a response,” a spokesman said. The commission’s term has been extended by two years, to December 2017, after it received a large number of submissions. The extension of the royal commission will cost $125.8m on top of the $377m currently budgeted for. “Although this is a very significant amount of money, it is the view of the government, given the importance of the royal commission’s work, that this outlay is justified,” George Brandis said. • Anyone in Australia who needs help relating to past abuse can call the Adult Survivors of Childhood Abuse hotline on 1300 657 380. The hotline operates between 9am and 5pm seven days a week
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