AUSTRALIA
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One of the great battlegrounds of the Royal Commission will revolve around the issue of mandatory reporting. At present there is great variability across the states on both who must report, and what must be reported. A national standard would, of course, make sense to many people.
Some of the offending organisations, including the Catholic Church in particular, vigorously oppose mandatory reporting, especially in the context of the confessional. Many commentators have suggested that church law is being elevated to a position above that of the state.
In Ireland, government officials have made it clear, in no uncertain terms, that the law of the state reigns supreme. Here, few politicians have dared to comment because of the political power of the churches. As the public becomes more aware of the role of mandatory reporting in protecting children, in the course of the Royal Commission hearings, then there will be more pressure on government to take a clear stand one way or the other.
This is why the Catholic Church, in particular, is pushing its line so fiercely on the issue. Indeed, one member of its PR Unit, set up to deal with the fall-out of the Royal Commission, is an “expert” advocate for winding back existing mandatory reporting laws (see previous posting).
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