National abuse redress scheme 'a must'

The federal government will soon be asked to back a national redress scheme for abuse survivors and to make sure children are protected in institutions.

The federal government is about to receive recommendations for major changes to the legal system so that institutions "can never again silence children".

Recommendations on redress and civil litigation as it applies to survivors of child sexual abuse will be handed to Attorney-General George Brandis within weeks, Peter McClellan, the chair of the child sex abuse royal commission is expected to announce on Wednesday.

Justice McClellan will address the 14th Assembly of the Uniting Church meeting in Perth.

He is also expected to say that the best way for abuse survivors to get justice is through a national redress scheme run by the federal government, even though the Abbott government has already said it does not have the power to run a national scheme.

The government's rejection of a proposal that it run a potential $4.3 billion national redress scheme for victims of abuse came in a two-page response to a commission consultation paper in March.

The proposed scheme would be funded by the institutions responsible for the abuse but it needs to be independent of those institutions to have credibility with survivors.

In its response to the commission's consultation paper the federal government also said it would not underwrite a scheme or extend Medicare for abuse victims needing ongoing medical and psychiatric help.

Justice McClellan at the time expressed the commission's disappointment with the federal "no, no, no" response.

He is expected on Wednesday to stress the importance of an effective scheme as the only opportunity for survivors of child abuse to get justice.

He will say that while there are many forms a scheme can take one approach favoured by almost all of the institutions and survivor groups "is a national scheme administered by the Commonwealth but funded by the relevant institutions, including the various governments where institutional failures have occurred.

"This is self evidently the approach which will meet the objective of equal justice for survivors."

Justice McClellan will also signal that the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse will recommend legal changes so abuse survivors find it easier to make claims against institutions.

Some institutions, including some Roman Catholic and Anglican Church dioceses have already made changes.

The Uniting Church will vote on changes to its regulations at the Perth assembly.

"The power of the institution must never again be allowed to silence a child or diminish the preparedness or capacity of adults to act to protect children," Justice McClellan will say.


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Source: AAP


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