Apology ‘futile’ if Peter Hollingworth keeps pension

A child sex abuse survivor has told Scott Morrison to strip Peter Hollingworth of his governor-general’s pension.

‘To be genuine, your apology must have meaning,’ says child sex abuse survivor Beth Heinrich. Picture: Aaron Francis

A high-profile Anglican child sex abuse survivor has told Scott Morrison to strip Peter Hollingworth of his governor-general’s pension or risk making a “disingenuous’’ national apology.

Beth Heinrich, who was ­abused by an Anglican priest and later bishop from the age of 15, has written to the Prime Minister calling for Dr Hollingworth to lose the allowance, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, after he became embroiled in the controversy surrounding her case.

Ms Heinrich told Mr Morrison Dr Hollingworth should never have been appointed governor-general, saying he had not done enough to help victims when he was archbishop of Brisbane.

“To be genuine, your apology must have meaning,’’ she told Mr Morrison. “To have meaning, you must deal with Peter Hollingworth and remove his undeserved pension.’’

Mr Morrison’s office said Ms Heinrich’s complaint had been received, it was a complex issue and it was being considered.

Dr Hollingworth is facing a concerted campaign from opponents who allege he did not do enough to deal with the abuse issue while he was archbishop.

Dr Hollingworth resigned as governor-general in 2003 after he was criticised at a Brisbane inquiry for his handling of alle­gations of child-sex abuse against pedophile priest John Linton ­Elliot.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse found Dr Hollingworth had made a serious error of judgment by allowing Elliot to continue in the ministry. The report detailed the case of Elliot, whom the commission was told abused a boy in the 1970s when he was a lay preacher in Brisbane.

The plight of Ms Heinrich, now living in country Victoria, became public when Dr Hollingworth publicly commented on the case.

His lawyer, Bill Doogue, yesterday questioned whether his comments on the ABC’s Australian Story, which causeda media storm, were accurately reported.

The ABC reported Dr Hollingworth saying: “There was no suggestion of rape or anything like that; quite the contrary. My information is that it was rather the other way around.’’

Ms Heinrich said she was sexually victimised by Anglican priest and bishop Donald Shearman, who was later deposed from holy orders. She said Shearman had formed a sexual relationship with her when she was sent to a church hostel. It continued for 18 months and was later rekindled.

Chris Goddard, an adjunct research professor at the University of South Australia, said fairness needed to be afforded to the victims. “The former governor-general’s pension reflects our society’s responses to child abuse: the victims get a lifetime burden.

“Hollingworth gets a lifetime, index-linked pension as a reward for a brief, troubled period as governor-general. At the same time, the victims’ maximum payment has been reduced under an unjust redress scheme.’’