A key church adviser is optimistic Catholic dioceses and other church organisations in NSW and Victoria will now join the national redress scheme for child sexual abuse survivors.
Truth Justice and Healing Council CEO Francis Sullivan says all states must follow NSW and Victoria in signing on to the federal government's scheme to pave the way for Catholic Church entities to opt in.
"This national scheme will provide a consistent and fair response to victims of abuse no matter where or when the abuse occurred," he said on Friday.
"Survivors of abuse have been hanging their hopes on this scheme for a long, long time.
"Many have died without the apologies and the redress that should have been theirs many years ago."
Mr Sullivan noted Victoria and NSW now needed to enact legislation to allow their participation and there must be a new federal bill to make the Commonwealth scheme a national one.
"The new legislation that's to be in the parliament should be released now so that, in the interests of transparency, we can accelerate the participation for the start of the scheme in July," he told AAP.
Mr Sullivan said Australia's Catholic leaders are on the record as saying they will join a national redress scheme and he was optimistic Catholic entities in NSW and Victoria would now sign on.
"My expectation is that they will go in, but they have to make the decision," Mr Sullivan told AAP.
Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher welcomed NSW and Victoria's participation, but also said the church wanted details of exactly how the scheme will be delivered as soon as possible.
"The Catholic Church has been an advocate of such a scheme from the beginning," he said.
The Catholic Church has estimated it will be liable for about $1 billion in compensation under the $3.8 billion national scheme.
