Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Brown for the question. Last week the Prime Minister announced that she would be recommending to the Governor-General the establishment of a royal commission into institutional responses to instances and allegations of child sex abuse in Australia. The allegations of child sexual abuse in Australia are absolutely heartbreaking. No child should be subjected to abuse. We must do everything as a society we can to make sure that what has happened in the past is never allowed to happen again. That is why this government has announced the royal commission—to thoroughly investigate how institutions have responded to child sexual abuse and to identify ways to prevent institutional failings from being repeated. The commission will have a broad scope to consider a range of institutions involved with the care of children including religious, charitable and state institutions. The government will consult with representatives of survivors of child abuse, with religious and community organisations and with state and territory governments in the drafting of the terms of reference. I am pleased to say all state and territory governments have committed to cooperating with the royal commission and the government will consult closely with them in the development of the terms of reference.

The royal commission will be focused on identifying systems and institutions that have failed young people and how to prevent this happening in the future. Individual submissions and stories will be a necessary part of understanding what has gone wrong in the past. In addition, it may be that sharing these stories will be helpful for some survivors of child sexual abuse. The royal commission will be able to refer material about instances of abuse to prosecutors. It remains the responsibility of the law enforcement agencies in each state or territory to bring prosecutions and for the courts to determine justice, but people with reports of child abuse should still make those reports to the police.