New initiatives underscore commitment to victim survivors of institutional child sexual abuse
Attorney-General
The Hon Michelle Rowland MP
Minister for Social Services
The Hon Tanya Plibersek MP
Joint Media Release
Today marks the 7th anniversary of the National Apology to Victims and Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse.
The appalling abuse endured by vulnerable children by the very people who were supposed to care for them, left immeasurable and lasting damage.
Today we are announcing the Albanese Labor Government has taken further steps to strengthen decisions of the National Redress Scheme relating to abuse in medical settings – often referred to by victims and survivors as virginity testing.
The practice was a clear, shameful contravention of basic human rights and United Nations standards.
We have now updated how the scheme considers abuse in medical settings to classify virginity testing as sexual abuse.
We have also appointed additional Independent Decision Makers to increase consistency and speed of redress for survivors. As a result, the Scheme has seen an uptick in application processing with a 63 per cent increase in applications resolved just in September compared to the previous month.
Since the Redress Scheme was established in 2018, over $1.7 billion dollars in redress payments has been paid to survivors. There are more than 600 non-government institutions now participating in the Scheme, covering more than 70,000 sites such as churches, schools, homes, charities, and community groups, across Australia. But we know there is more to do.
We are working through policy and administrative improvements to process applications faster. This means, identifying where applications are systemically getting stuck in administrative processes and finding solutions.
For example, we have implemented an enhanced triage process that prioritises the review of applications for sufficient information upfront, enabling them to progress to a determination as early as possible. We are also identifying and reviewing applications that have been on hold or stalled for extended periods, with the aim of finding opportunities for progression.
Separately, the Government is continuing to work across governments and organisations to deliver the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse 2021-2030, which responds to approximately 100 recommendations from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
As part of the Strategy, the Government continues to roll out the national ‘One Talk at a Time’ campaign – which seeks to educate adults with children and young people in their lives about child sexual abuse and encourage ongoing, proactive, and preventative conversations.
The Government is also leading Working with Children Checks reforms, which will result in meaningful national consistency between the systems, removal of barriers to information sharing between states and territories, and the development of a National Continuous Checking Capability to ensure criminal histories are captured and shared nationally in near real time.
More information is available at the Department of Social Services website, National Redress Scheme, National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse Act 2018, National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse 2021-2030, and One Talk at a Time.
A list of supports available can be found at 24/7 Support on the National Redress Scheme website.
Quotes attributable to the Minister for Social Services, Tanya Plibersek:
“No apology, and no amount of time, can change or make up for the immense trauma, pain, and suffering endured by countless Australians for many years.
“Seven years on, we are still deeply committed to ensuring the Scheme is reflective of the needs of survivors, and that all applicants have a fair, consistent opportunity to receive redress.
“Virginity testing was a disgraceful practice that was used in this country for many years, often exploited in the medical field to disguise sexual abuse in horrendous ways. These changes have been called for by victim survivors and we have acted.
“We will not ignore the past – and it is of the utmost importance that those who ensured the pain caused by virginity testing are recognised, heard, and supported through the National Redress Scheme.
“By hiring and training more Independent Decision Makers to understand the many factors that contribute to sexual abuse of this nature, we are upholding the recommendations of the Royal Commission and prioritising survivors.
“We cannot erase the injustice that has been committed against Australia’s victim-survivors, but we will continue to do all we can to help in the long, difficult process of healing.”
Quotes attributable to the Attorney General, Michelle Rowland:
“The safety of children and young people is a top priority of the Albanese Government’
“Today’s anniversary is a solemn reminder of the deep and lasting harm inflicted on children who should have been safe and were not.
“As we mark this day of significance, we recommit ourselves to ensuring the safety of all Australian children, and to continue improving support for victims and survivors on their healing journeys.
“The Government continues to implement ambitious, world-leading measures to prevent and respond to all forms of child sexual abuse.
Right now, we are working closely with all states and territories in delivering critical uplift in the Working with Children Checks regime, ensuring nefarious individuals banned in one jurisdiction are banned in all.”