AUSTRALIA
Australian Associated Press
December 9, 2017
THE EARLY DAYS OF THE CHILD SEX ABUSE ROYAL COMMISSION
The Royal Commission is announced
Then prime minister Julia Gillard said there had been a systemic failure to respond to “vile and evil” child sexual abuse and a national response was appropriate.
“There have been revelations of child abusers being moved from place to place rather than the nature of their abuse and their crimes being dealt with,” she said on November 12, 2012.
“There have been too many revelations of adults who have averted their eyes from this evil.”
What was the lead-up?
Several inquiries investigated specific aspects of abuse, but none had looked at the problem across all institutions nationally.
NSW
NSW announced its own special commission of inquiry three days before the federal government said it was setting up a royal commission.
It followed Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox’s call for a royal commission into allegations of child sex abuse at the hands of Catholic Church clergy in the Hunter region and cover-ups by police and the church.
It ultimately found no evidence to show senior police officers tried to block child abuse investigations.
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