PM Turnbull praises child sexual abuse victims after Royal Commission delivers recommendations

A “NATIONAL tragedy” has been exposed by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said.

• Royal Commission delivers recommendations
• South Australian Government to consider 189 recommendations

A “NATIONAL tragedy” has been exposed by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said on Friday.

The commission, instigated by former prime minister Julia Gillard in 2012, handed its 17-volume report to Governor-General Peter Cosgrove.

The five-year, $500 million investigation revealed harrowing stories of abuse and cover- ups in many of Australia’s well-known institutions.

Graham Rundle, who was systematically abused at an Adelaide Salvation Army home, said he was “still haunted” but that the process had been “the best thing”. Sergeant William Keith Ellis raped Mr Rundle when he was seven, after he arrived at the Eden Park boys’ home in 1960.

Mr Rundle told The Advertiser he still wakes up, back against the wall, from the nightmares of that time.

But the commission process, he says, was a healing one, and he thanked Ms Gillard for starting it.

On Friday, Mr Turnbull spoke about the courage of survivors who told their stories.

“I want to thank and honour the courage of the survivors and their families who’ve told, often for the first time, the dreadful stories of abuse that they received from people who actually owed them love and protection,” he said. “What that commission has done has exposed a national tragedy.”

THANKS: Abuse survivor Graham Rundle said the commission had assisted with healing.

The Federal Government announced $52 million for victims. The money is earmarked for support and assistance, and the Government has also promised to establish a taskforce to consider, co-ordinate, and track the progress of the recommendations.

Independent Senator Derryn Hinch, an advocate for victims of child sex abuse, will chair a committee overseeing that work. In its final report, the commission made more than 400 recommendations, including that any failure to report — including clergy who take confession — should be a criminal offence. The commission also recommended that Rome should consider making Catholic celibacy voluntary.

There are a range of recommendations around monitoring child safety at both a state and a federal level. The commission also recommended a national memorial for survivors. Ms Gillard declared it a “historic day”. “My personal thanks go to the royal commissioners and all who supported their work,” she tweeted.

The report states there is “no simple explanation” for institutional abuse, and says Australia should never revert to “a state of denial” about it.

State Governments have been given six months to respond to the Commission’s recommendations.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said the “lasting legacy of this commission must be to protect the rights of children and place their safety at the heart of decision making”.

The Catholic Church’s Truth, Justice and Healing Council said the work was just beginning, and hailed the recommendations as “very sensible and practical”. “What now needs to be made clear by the church leadership is that they take these recommendations and findings seriously and that they are willing to act swiftly in implementing the findings,” chief executive officer Francis Sullivan said.

Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher rejected any changes to confession. “Killing off confession is not going to help anybody,” he said.

SA Best has pledged to make it a key issue that SA signs on to a national redress scheme. “We will make this a key issue,” Party leader Nick Xenophon said.

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