AUSTRALIA
The Courier-Mail
May 9, 2016
Kate McKenna
The Courier-Mail
THE Palaszczuk Government is considering falling into line with other states and eliminating a “demoralising” time limit preventing child sex abuse survivors from pursuing civil claims.
Communities and Child Safety Minister Shannon Fentiman will tonight host an open forum at Parliament House about the limitations, which, under Queensland law, require survivors to lodge a civil claim against institutions by the age of 21.
Both NSW and Victoria have passed reform legislation, while Western Australia has introduced a Bill.
Last year, the royal commission into child sex abuse said many survivors, advocacy groups and academics had labelled time limits a major — “sometimes insurmountable” — barrier to bringing legal action and the commission recommended that governments get rid of them retrospectively.
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