Prime Minister Tony Abbott is promising a "strong and comprehensive" response to whatever the child sex abuse royal commission proposes by way of compensation for tens of thousands of survivors.
During a press conference in Sydney on Wednesday Mr Abbott was asked about the federal government's recent rejection of a national redress scheme for people sexually assaulted and beaten in institutions when they were children.
He said the government supported the royal commission into the "terrible, terrible problem".
"We're strongly supporting the royal commission and obviously when the royal commission brings out its report we'll have a strong and comprehensive response."
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse will make its final recommendations on compensation at the end of June or early July.
In March the federal government in a brief submission told a public hearing the Commonwealth did not have the legislative power to run the scheme and would not be the funder of last resort if institutions no longer existed or were too poor to pay.
In a consultation paper in January the commission modelled a $4.3 billion national scheme to cover an estimated 65,000 victims.
It would be funded by state and territory governments and institutions - churches and non-government agencies - responsible for the abuse.
The scheme would provide limited monetary compensation of between $10,000 and $200,000 and very necessary professional counselling for people still suffering because of childhood abuse.
The commission model suggested an extension of Medicare to provide for specific ongoing care.
The federal government said it would instead advertise what was now available.
A national scheme, under the auspices of the federal government has the backing of institutions including the Catholic Church, The Salvation Army and the Anglican Church as well as victim advocacy groups.
Many abuse survivors say an independent national scheme is needed as alternatives might require them to deal again with the bodies - government and non-government - responsible for their mistreatment.
The prime minister was also asked on Wednesday about the recent appeal by the headmaster of St Ignatius College Riverview to help establish the extent of historical abuse at the elite Sydney private school he attended.
Mr Abbott said he had "an outstandingly good education" there and his memories were good ones "but it seems that in some cases there was a breach of trust and let's get to the bottom of it".
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