Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Hansard source

I second the amendment. I rise to speak on the Royal Commissions Amendment (Private Sessions) Bill 2019, and I commend the member for Isaacs for his amendment and his words. The work of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has certainly been extraordinary, and I am going to take some time to touch on that before returning to the amendment legislation before the House and the member for Isaacs's amendment.

I'm very proud to have been a member of parliament in November 2012 when Prime Minister Gillard announced that she would recommend to the Governor-General that a royal commission be appointed to inquire into institutional responses to child abuse. What a legacy that has been for Prime Minister Gillard; something that has changed so many lives and brought so much hope in an area often associated with despair. It did not make past wrongs right but for many people it certainly made them more bearable.

Her Excellency Quentin Bryce, the then Governor-General, announced in January 2013 the six commissioners who would undertake the onerous task of conducting the inquiry, to be led by Justice Peter McClellan, AM. I commend all of the commissioners for the wonderful work they did under the direction of Justice Peter McClellan. I'd particularly like to mention former Queensland police commissioner Bob Atkinson who, after a long, distinguished career fighting crime in Queensland and helping communities in Queensland, then took on that role as a commissioner in a very difficult job.

The royal commission handed down its final report in December 2017 and the commissioners made a total of 409 recommendations, showing that the workload of that royal commission was phenomenal. So I thank all of the commissioners and their staff for their work over those five years, work that will no doubt leave a lasting imprint on their lives as well those who they listened to. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse received 42,041 telephone calls; they received 25,964 letters and emails; they held 8,013 private sessions—yes, that's the correct number—where they would have heard horrific information; and they made, most importantly, 2,575 referrals to the authorities, including the police.

The success of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse relied on victims being prepared and supported to tell their stories, often stories that had never ever been told before. I know that, and I'll come back to that in a second. In order to ensure that success, the Gillard Labor government made an amendment to the Royal Commissions Act 1902 to allow the chair of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse to authorise a fellow commissioner to hold a private session to receive information from victims and others affected by child sexual abuse. That amendment allowed, as I said, the more than 8,000 victims to tell their deeply personal and often incredibly traumatic stories.

It was also essential that victims attending private sessions to give information about abuse to the royal commission were supported and were represented. The then Attorney-General and now shadow Attorney-General, the member for Isaacs, launched knowmore legal service, which was a free national legal advice line for people interested in providing information to the commission. knowmore was accompanied, most importantly, by funding of $18 million over four years. That funding was later extended to match the extended reporting date for the royal commission, and in fact continues to this day. The service offered advice on issues like witness and informant protections, compensation and the implications of existing confidentiality agreements. knowmore is now dealing with the redress scheme, so it has continued some of that work it started.

I speak to those in the chamber, particularly the minister who will have carriage of this—and I know we have chatted about this—about the importance of those private sessions and the support and representation that went to them. It was provided for the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, and I think the value of it is shown in this—is summed up by—a note from a survivor who was actually sent to the royal commission. This is a direct quote: 'Thank you for the opportunity to tell my story. You cannot know what it meant to be listened to with such respect and made to feel that what happened to me really mattered. I hope my experience will help to promote the change needed to prevent this ever happening to another child.'

I should declare an interest in this particular law firm, knowmore, because my wife, my partner of nearly 30 years, was the managing lawyer for the Queensland and Northern Territory office. She no longer works there, but I say to Lea and all those who worked there under the direction of the executive officer, Warren Strange: thank you for the great work that you did. I know how difficult it was; I used to hear stories of providing legal support and all sorts of support to those giving testimony. Thank you to all those who worked at knowmore and to the people who supported victims who gave evidence to the royal commission.

Labor supports the bill currently before the House, obviously with the amendment from the member for Isaacs, because it will enable other royal commissions to hold private sessions where a regulation is made under the Royal Commissions Act authorising it to do so. It extends the private sessions regime that applied to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and to other royal commissions. As I said, there were 8,000 victims who told their deeply personal and traumatic stories to a commissioner.

Two more royal commissions have been established: the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, which has already commenced hearings; and the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, which is now open for submissions. Some witnesses who may wish to give evidence to both of these royal commissions may prefer to tell their stories in a private session. Whilst public evidence is very compelling, those private sessions are still of incredible value to people. But, I stress, supporting getting people in front of a commissioner is crucial. Some of the victims in the aged-care community, and, likewise, people with disability and their families, will be some of our most vulnerable in society.

I would just reiterate that it is very important that any witnesses wishing to make use of private sessions be given support and representation. That means that the government will have to dip into its pockets to support the legal services or other advocacy services that do so. There is already a mechanism set up with knowmore, so it would not be a huge leap. As I said, I used to have a conflict of interest with knowmore but I no longer do; they do great work. I'd ask the minister to make contact with the executive officer, Warren Strange, to advance that. It's a low-cost support service—relatively low cost to the government. They already have the processes there. I'd reiterate that it's very important that any witnesses wishing to make use of these private sessions be given support and representation, and I'm sure the minister and those responsible for the carriage of this will ensure services such as knowmore are given the appropriate funding to support those witnesses. Obviously these communities—the aged community, people with disability, their families, their support people—are best served if they are given the opportunity to tell their stories.

I will finish with, sadly, one concern, which is about commissioners Barbara Bennett and John Ryan having conflicts of interest as mentioned by the member for Isaacs and the shadow minister with responsibility for this, the member for Maribyrnong. We can't have a royal commission starting with baggage, especially in such vulnerable areas. I'm sure that these well respected public servants will understand that they can't start with that conflict of interest, and I'm sure that, with their long careers, they don't want to be accused of investigating themselves. That would not be an honourable way for them to finish up their careers. I'm sure they will do the right thing. If not, I'm sure the minister will step forward to make sure that these commissions have the best chance of doing the right thing by the Australian community. I look forward to the aged community, the disability community and their families stepping towards justice and to making sure that we get the best outcomes possible.

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