LABOR WELCOMES ROYAL COMMISSION REPORT

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse today released 85 new recommendations to improve the nation’s criminal justice systems.

Labor welcomes the release of this important report and we will carefully examine the recommendations.

The report recommends making the failure to report child sex abuse in institutions a criminal offence, extending to religious confessions.

It also recommends that states and territories should introduce a ‘failure to protect’ offence, similar to that introduced in Victoria. 

The Royal Commission has also called for greater use of evidence by multiple victims in relation to a single perpetrator, stating that the exclusion of this evidence has too often led to "unwarranted acquittals".

Labor is prepared to work with the government in thoroughly examining these recommendations.

Labor calls on the government to respond to these recommendations as soon as possible.

The Turnbull Government’s failure to get on with the job of delivering a national redress scheme for survivors of institutional child sexual abuse is an inexcusable delay.

Labor acknowledges the men and women who have survived horrific abuse and shared their painful accounts at the Royal Commission. Labor also thanks the Royal Commission for its important work.

It was the former Labor Government that established the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in 2013.

We look forward to seeing the final recommendations when released in December.