Login
Progress report tabled for child sexual abuse commission outcomes
A broader focus on child protection, wellbeing and safety is a theme within the annual progress report stemming from the final report of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
Grace Ormsby
The annual progress report “highlights the progress being made across the Australian Government to implement the recommendations” made in last year’s final report of the royal commission, with a particular focus on the issue of abuse in institutions, and a broader look at child safety and protection.
To continue reading the rest of this article, please log in.
Create free account to get unlimited news articles and more!
According to a joint statement from Prime Minister Scott Morrison, the Attorney-General Christian Porter and Minister for Families and Social Services Paul Fletcher, “significant progress has been made” since the release of the final report.
“Action is being taken on all recommendations where the Australian Government is responsible, with work continuing in partnership with states and territories to ensure children are safe from abuse in institutional care,” they noted, with key achievements including the establishment of a national office for child safety, and finalising of national principles for child safe organisations.
Accoladed too was the commencement of the National Redress Scheme, while noting that the Prime Minister has written “to all institutions from which the National Redress Scheme has received applications demanding they sign up urgently.”
“The redress scheme is an important part of acknowledging the harm caused, and holding institutions to account,” the statement explained.
“Key” achievements of the government included opening of an Australian centre to counter child exploitation, and implementation of the Commonwealth child safe framework across Australian government entities.
It also highlighted the National Apology given to victims and survivors of institutional child sexual abuse by Prime Minister Scott Morrison in October this year.
The Australian government’s progress reports will be tabled annually before parliament and shared with the public.
Its self-professed focus is “on making sure information about progress is trauma-informed and accessible to survivors, families, children and institutions.”
A ten-year review will be conducted in 2027 to consider “what further steps governments and institutions should take to make sure improvements in policy and service delivery continue in relation to child sexual abuse in institutions.”
State and territory governments and other institutions will also be producing their own annual reports and outlining progress made in applicable recommendations until 2022.
