Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Given the prevalence of institutionalised child sexual abuse in the Maitland-Newcastle diocese and the extensive use of permanent stays in New South Wales, there will be many survivors in my community who will be greatly relieved by this High Court decision. They may now even dare to hope that justice, albeit long delayed, is within reach.

I'd also like to acknowledge the work of the Albanese Labor government in making sure that the National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse Amendment Bill is now fairer and more transparent. I sat in the chamber yesterday listening to the minister as she introduced the National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse Amendment Bill 2023.As deputy chair of that committee that was set up to oversee the National Redress Scheme, I was there from 2017 to 2022. This work is deeply important to not just my community but also to me and my work in this parliament over many years now. I am and remain deeply committed to seeking justice for survivors of child sexual abuse, and some of the most harrowing evidence given in the royal commission came from Newcastle and the Hunter region. We have much work to do to ensure that those people are supported to heal and to seek the justice they deserve. It's for those people, their bravery and their commitment to ensuring the abuse they experienced never happens again that this work is so important.

I acknowledge some people in Newcastle—survivors—who have been steadfast in their advocacy in this work. I acknowledge Bob O'Toole and his group, the Clergy Abuse Network; Peter Gogarty, now an associate lecturer at the Newcastle School of Law and Justice, who has been an absolute champion; Audrey Nash, who lost her beloved son, Andrew, through suicide as a result of the abuse he experienced in his life, and her other children—Geoffrey and others—who have been dogged in their insistence that justice is served. I want them to know that I stand beside them each and every day in pursuing that goal too.

I echo the words of the minister and acknowledge the powerful advocates who have called on the government to do something about addressing those wrong of the past. There have been many more from across the nation, and this helped shape the legislation that was put before the House yesterday. The bill has some key changes to allow applicants to provide additional information when they're requesting a review of their decisions, reducing the circumstances where applicants must undertake a special assessment process. This is particularly important for people with criminal convictions or who are doing time in prison, removing restrictions that prevent incarcerated survivors from lodging an application. We know that so often many of those people in prison have been survivors of child sexual abuse, so enabling that to progress and a reassessment of final applications if a relevant institution joins the scheme down the track, has been an important amendment.

I understand there are now 496 nongovernment institutions that are participating in the National Redress Scheme. There have been 13,400 payments, totalling $1.2 billion, that have been paid to survivors to date, but this is not a note of self-congratulation here. This is just the tip of the iceberg. We know that. The royal commission estimated some 60,000 people would seek to make use of the National Redress Scheme, and only 13,400 have been paid out. There is always room to improve the scheme, and we will continue to do that. I acknowledge the terrific work of the national centres now established to focus on the eradication of child sexual abuse in our country, and I thank the House for the opportunity to speak today.

A division having been called in the House of Representatives—

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