Child abuse survivors have called for a bipartisan approach to a national compensation scheme for thousands of people who were sexually and physically abused as children when they were in the care of institutions.
The calls on Tuesday followed an ALP announcement it would commit to the national $4.3 billion redress scheme recommended by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten told reporters in Melbourne the Labor party promise might be "too little, too late" for some - many abuse victims have ended their own lives - but the healing process needed to start somewhere.
"This country owes the survivors, it owes the care leavers," he said.
Labor would allocate $33 million immediately when returned to government, Mr Shorten said. Of that $20 million would go to setting up a national redress agency and an advisory council.
The extra $13 million would go into the compensation fund.
The churches, charities, states and territories who ran the institutions where thousands or children were sexually abused would contribute to that fund, which based on royal commission modelling, would cost $4.3 billion over 10 years.
Mr Shorten said it was important that the Commonwealth underwrite the scheme because some institutions no longer existed and some were bankrupt.
Leonie Sheedy CEO of Care Leavers Australasia Network (CLAN) welcomed the ALP initiative and called for a bipartisan approach to helping care leavers who "had been disadvantaged all their lives".
The move was also welcomed by Cathy Kezelmann, president of ASCA, which provides support services for adults who survived child abuse.
The Truth, Justice and Healing Council which represents the Catholic Church also welcomed the federal opposition's promise of a national redress scheme.
Francis Sullivan, council CEO said the ALP announcement was the first concrete commitment from a political party, state or federal, to the royal commission's redress proposals and the Turnbull government needed to get behind it.
A spokesperson for Attorney-General George Brandis said the government was considering the royal commission's recommendations and would consult with state and territory colleagues before committing to a response.
AAP understands the attorneys-general will meet Senator Brandis during a COAG meeting in November to nut out a response to the commission's recommendations.
