Publicly available list of child sex abusers should be established, parliamentary committee finds

Child abusers in institutions should be named and shamed, a parliamentary committee has found in a report that was scathing of organisations like the Catholic Church for being “cutthroat” in their treatment of victims. The bipartisan committee into support available to survivors of institutional abuse tabled its findings on Thursday after months of hearings, concluding that an “unholy wall of silence” was stopping victims from coming forward and that a “centralised publicly accessible list of known abusers” would be a “game changer”. “It is plainly unconscionable that institutions hide a wealth of information about known abusers while victims suffer alone, thinking no one will believe them because they believe they are the only ones affected,” the report stated. Committee chair and Liberal MP Dr David Honey said institutions should list the identities of known abusers on “clearly defined and easily accessible” parts of their websites, along with the State-run list. “Institutions who know that abusers have operated in their institutions should actively reach out to publicise information about those abusers to afford other potential victims the opportunity to come forward,” he said. The MP also told parliament that it was “very clear” abuse of children in institutions had continued since the Royal Commission concluded in late 2017 and barriers to survivors seeking justice. “Resolution of abuse claims takes years; obtaining supporting evidence from government agencies and institutions is often torturous and time-consuming,” he said. “Support services are overwhelmed. Professional support services from clinical psychologists and other appropriate specialists are equally overwhelmed with extremely long waiting times.” The report found religious organisations, particularly the Catholic Church, continued to put their own interests over survivors who came forward seeking compensation. “The impression we took from the evidence was that Church negotiations for compensation for survivors were too often like cutthroat commercial disputes, with the Churches seeking only to minimise their financial exposure rather than any attempt to deliver justice for the victims,” the inquiry’s report found. Dr Honey said the inquiry had also found the resources allocated to support and compensate victims of abuse were “wholly inadequate”. “Resolution of abuse claims takes years; obtaining supporting evidence from government agencies and institutions is often torturous and time-consuming,” he said. Dr Honey said institutions, including the Christian Brothers — who employed paedophile Daniel McMahon at its WA schools in the 1960s and 1970s — claimed they were making “good efforts” but had refused to cooperate with the committee. The Christian Brothers, an organisation within the Perth Catholic Diocese, agreed to appear before the committee last month but cancelled their appearance at the last minute — claiming the inquiry had refused to rule out asking about matters before the courts. The inquiry found the Christian Brothers had “possibly the worst record of abuse in Australia, and one of the worst worldwide,” with the Royal Commission identifying 1135 claims of abuse against them. The complicated structure of the Catholic Church has made it difficult for people to seek assistance, the report stated. Labor MP Dave Kelly — who attended Christian Brothers College in Fremantle, where Mr McMahon taught - said many of the Brothers’ institutions had closed but many still existed, including Aquinas, Trinity College, CBC Fremantle, Highgate, Leederville and Geraldton. “Some have changed their names, but they are still present, and there was significant child abuse in those institutions,” he said. Mr Kelly said while the Brothers claimed to respond to victims with “compassion,” the experience of survivors was “almost the opposite”. “The evidence of survivors is that the Christian Brothers make it as difficult as possible for survivors to come forward, and then they make the journey for compensation as difficult as possible.” Mr Kelly said a lawyer involved in seeking compensation for victims had compared the Brothers’ tactics to the asbestos industry. “They drag out cases - essentially hoping that victims will give up or die,” he said. Mr Kelly said institutions, including principals of Christian Brothers schools, who failed to implement “structured outreach program” to contact alumni and past members, as recommended by the inquiry, were “complicit” in the abuse. “I appeal also to Bishop Timothy Costelloe. He is the Archbishop of Perth. He should show leadership and ensure that happens, not only in those Christian Brothers institutions but in other Catholic institutions,” the MP said. The committee also recommended that the State work with the Federal Government to extend participation in the National Redress Scheme — set up to allow victims to access compensation — to make those abused after July 2018 eligible. While WA has abolished the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse, the committee wants the State to also remove time limits for those physically abused. It also recommended support for Aboriginal victims — who have been over-represented in the Redress Scheme — be expanded. The term “historical abuse” does a “disservice” to victims and should no longer be used by the State or non-government institutions, the inquiry also found. In a statement, the four Catholic dioceses in WA issued a “heartfelt and unreserved apology” to victims of abuse perpetrated by clergy and lay church workers. “The protection of children remains the highest priority for the Catholic Dioceses of Western Australia,” they said. “The Catholic Dioceses of Western Australia fully supported and responded to all requests for information and data by the Community Development and Justice Standing Committee during its Inquiry. Further, detailed written submissions were provided for the Committee’s consideration.” Beyond their statement — which also acknowledged the “life-long harm” suffered by victims — the dioceses stated they would make no further comment “at this time”. A spokesperson for Edmund Rice Education Australia — which governs schools including Trinity, Aquinas and CBC Fremantle — acknowledged the responsibility for schools “in relation to child safety”. “EREA has no tolerance for child abuse, and all allegations and safety concerns are responded to as a priority and consistent with our robust Safeguarding policies and procedures, and in compliance with the relevant jurisdictional obligations and national Catholic Safeguarding Standards,” they said. “We encourage anyone who has experienced abuse to raise their concerns and contact WA Police and relevant authorities.” Victims advocate Terry Martino said the report showed the issue of abuse within the Catholic church was a “live issue”. Mr Martino pleaded with the Archbishop to “get on the right side of history” by proactively reaching out to survivors and helping them to access redress. “Being a bystander is not okay,” he said. “No action means you are being complicit in these despicable acts of the past.” Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800; Sexual Assault Resource Centre 1800 199 888