Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Senator Askew, for that very important question. It's particularly timely since the government—Assistant Minister Seselja and I—announced on Friday that we would be introducing legislation and regulatory reform to strip institutions who fail to accept their responsibility to join the redress scheme of their charitable status. This was a commitment that the Prime Minister made earlier this year to survivors and it is one that we are absolutely determined to fulfil. So, once the legislation and the regulations have gone through this place, no charitable or religious organisation or institution will be able to benefit from taxation concessions while victims and survivors of child sexual abuse continue to be denied the redress that they so rightly deserve.

To date, 129 charities have been identified as being named in applications in the scheme that have not yet joined the scheme. Whilst I acknowledge that many of those organisations are currently in the process of onboarding, we already know that there is one charitable organisation that was named in the July statement this year that has absolutely refused to accept its responsibility for the abuse that was undertaken in the institution. The Prime Minister has been absolutely clear in his statement that anybody who is named in the royal commission or who has an application lodged against them must do everything in their power to join the redress scheme so that we are in a position to provide the redress to survivors that they so justly deserve.

I'd like to take this opportunity to remind the 80 charitable institutions who are currently in the process of onboarding and who gave a commitment that they would onboard by 31 December 2020 that they have until 31 December. If they do not join in that time, they will be named and shamed and full sanctions will be taken against them.