AUSTRALIA
The Austrlian
MICHAEL MCKENNA
ReporterBrisbane
@McKennaattheOz
Child protection advocates are calling on Australian states to widen reforms of litigation laws so abuse victims forced into compensation settlements can launch new legal action.
Queensland, Western Australia and the ACT are about to join Victoria and NSW in abolishing the statute of limitations that effectively blocks victims from having their cases heard in court.
In Queensland, victims have had until their 21st birthday to sue institutions over their abuse.
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse last year recommended states reform laws to allow people to sue regardless of when alleged abuse happened.
However, so far legislative changes have excluded victims who have already taken action and been forced into settlements after the time limit defence was used against them. Some victims received as little as $10,000, a fraction of what churches, schools and governments now face in court-ordered damages.
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