Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In the Great Hall on 16 November 2009, the then Prime Minister and opposition leader gave an apology to all the children who had been sexually and physically abused in institutions. Today, six years later, Cardinal Pell has given evidence in Rome to the royal commission into child sex abuse. We are looking for justice for victims, and I know they are watching and listening to me now talking about what Cardinal Pell said to the royal commission today.

The first recommendation of the commission was:

A process for redress must provide equal access and equal treatment for survivors—regardless of the location, operator, type, continued existence or assets of the institution in which they were abused

Cardinal Pell today said:

I would like to see a national system of redress which could be accessed by the churches and one in which the culpable parties would contribute to the payment of whatever the findings were … It would clearly show that such payments are not dependent on the decisions of the Catholic Church … No matter how fair and independent an agency funded by the church might be, there's always the danger that it will be found to be subservient.

Redress for all is how it should be.