Prime minister Scott Morrison has delivered an emotional apology to the thousands of Australians who suffered sexual abuse as children at the hands of institutions that were trusted with their care.
Hundreds travelled to Parliament House in Canberra and sat in the public gallery as Mr Morrison acknowledged the “evil, dark crimes” committed by priests, teachers and scout leaders, and apologised for the nation’s failure to believe victims over many decades.
“Look at the galleries, look at the Great Hall, look outside this place, and you will see men and women from every walk of life, from every generation and every part of our land, crushed, abused, discarded and forgotten,” Mr Morrison told the chamber, in a speech broadcast around the nation.
“The crimes of ritual sexual abuse happened in schools, churches, youth groups, scout troops, orphanages, foster homes, sporting clubs, group homes, charities and in family homes as well.”
Mr Morrison became emotional at times as he recalled some of the personal stories.
The five-year Royal Commission that exposed the horrific scale of the abuse heard from 17,000 survivors, and 8,000 recalled their abuse in private sessions.
He told of one mother who had lost a daughter to suicide.
“As a father of two daughters, I can't comprehend the magnitude of what she has faced,” Mr Morrison said.
“Not just as a father, but as a Prime Minister, I am angry too at the calculating destruction of lives and the abuse of trust, including those who have abused the shield of faith and religion to hide their crimes, a shield that is supposed to protect the innocent, not the guilty.
The government has already set up a national redress scheme to pay compensation to survivors, with contributions from the states and some of the main responsible institutions, including the Catholic Church.
Today, the government announced a national museum to remember the abuse. It will also set up a National Centre for Excellence to research the impacts of abuse on survivors.
Mr Morrison's apology in parliament was followed by an address from Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, before the adjournment of the House of Representatives.
It exposed institutions that had deliberately covered up the crimes of pedophiles who had preyed on vulnerable children.
It led to the landmark conviction of Adelaide’s archbishop Philip Wilson, who was sentenced to 12 months detention not for being an abuser himself, but for deliberately concealing the sexual abuse of children at the hands of pedophile priest Jim Fletcher between 2004 and 2006.
