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Sunday, April 2, 2017
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse heard its last case at the final public hearing in Sydney last week. The commission which commenced in 2013 will deliberate now to write its report and recommendations which is due to be delivered to the Federal Government in December 2017.
Justice Peter McClelland, the chair of the Royal Commission said in his closing remarks, “We have been told by many people that the public hearings have had a profound effect on the community’s understanding of the nature and impact of the sexual abuse of children in Australia.This is primarily due to the courage and determination of the survivors who have given evidence. Although a relatively small number they have given voice to the suffering of the tens of thousands who have been abused in an institutional context in Australia.” The Royal Commission has been hearing evidence over the last four years.
Although a relatively small number of cases were heard at the public hearings that were held around Australia, the impact on the survivors of institutional child sex crimes continue to result in overwhelming numbers of survivors approaching law firms around Australia with claims of childhood sexual abuse.
In an article by The Sydney Morning Herald published on April 2, 2017 it was claimed that Australian legal firms are receiving an unprecedented demand from survivors of child sex abuse. They claim that the new rash of claims is due to new legal reforms by the Commission that allow survivors to make claims regardless of the historical nature of the alleged abuse.
The legal reforms referred to were enacted by the Federal Government as redress scheme which was announced in November 2016 and is set to cost taxpayers up to $770 million over a ten year period. Under the redress scheme, survivors of institutional child sex abuse are eligible to access up to $150,000 in compensation. The scheme will run for ten years.
To date the for victims of sexual abuse between 1980-2015 the Catholic Church has paid $270 million in compensation. The Anglican church diocese has paid just over $34 Million.
One final witness may be heard in a special hearing at the arrangement of Hon Justice McClellan due to the unavailability of the witness and a new case starting in April.