Child abuse survivors protest after the government fails to create a national compensation scheme that would allow victims to 'be heard'

By Aneeta Bhole
Daily Mail
May 16, 2016

http://goo.gl/WHxGvR

Care Leavers Australia Network (CLAN) executive Leonie Sheedy (pictured) said child abuse survivors were hurt and angry at the federal government for ignoring the main recommendation of the Royal Commission

A national redress scheme proposed by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse (stock) said it would allow victims to 'be heard', gain counselling and receive a monetary payment

Abuse survivors (stock) angry at the Turnbull government's failure to implement a national independent redress scheme protested outside the Liberal Party headquarters in Victoria at 11am on March 16

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (pictured), who is a patron of Care Leavers Australian Network, has been called on to show real leadership on this issue

Labor has committed $33million in seed funding for the scheme and he Catholic Church has also supported a single national scheme and has said it expects it will cost the church up to $1billion over the next 10 years.

Abuse survivors angry at the government's failure to implement a national independent redress scheme have protested outside the Liberal Party headquarters in Victoria.

Survivors protested outside the Victoria Liberal Party headquarters in Exhibition Street in Melbourne's city centre at 11am on Monday.

A national redress scheme would allow victims to 'be heard' and gain counselling, receive an apology from the responsible institution and a monetary payment determined by the severity of the abuse.

Care Leavers Australia Network (CLAN) executive Leonie Sheedy said child abuse survivors were hurt and angry at the federal government for ignoring the main recommendation of the Royal Commission Into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

The commission recommended a national scheme run by an independent panel as the best way to deliver justice for people still suffering as a consequences of childhood abuse.

The government opted instead for the second best option - a nationally consistent scheme run by each state and territory.

Ms Sheedy said CLAN called this option the 'nationally inconsistent scheme' because three states, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia had already opted out.

She said: 'What is the point of spending $500million on a royal commission if the federal government doesn't respect the commission's number one recommendation on redress?'

With this approach Ms Sheedy feels that the federal government have sent the message to churches, charities and state governments that 'they can get away with committing these heinous crimes against children'.

Ms Sheedy called on Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who is a patron of CLAN, to show real leadership on this issue.

She said: 'Care Leavers across the country are determined to ensure this issue is placed firmly on the federal election agenda - and we will never, ever go away.'

A bi-partisan approach was called for to redress and point out the federal Labor Party and the Greens to be committed to establishing a single national scheme.

Labor has committed $33million in seed funding for the scheme which would see the institutions - state and non-state - contributing their share to cover claims against them.

The Catholic Church has also supported a single national scheme and has said it expects it will cost the church up to $1billion over the next 10 years.