A-Gs urged to follow South Australian lead on confession

Canberra hopes a law making it mandatory for priests who hear confessions about child abuse to contact police will be replicated.

Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson arrives at Newcastle Local Court last month. Picture: AAP

The federal government hopes a move by South Australia that makes it mandatory for priests who hear confessions about child abuse to contact police will be replicated nationally.

From October South Australia will become the first state to adopt the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse recommendation, meaning priests will face criminal charges and a $10,000 fine for failing to report child abuse revealed in confession.

Attorney-General Vickie Chapman yesterday said she would urge her interstate counterparts to follow South Australia’s lead and introduce legis­lation that makes it mandatory for religious leaders to reveal confessions of sexual abuse.

“These are state-based responsibilities,” she said.

“It’s critical that the terrible legacy of child sexual abuse is ­addressed with a comprehensive suite of policies at both the federal and state level.”

She said in the absence of a national approach, “predators will travel, and that is the reality — they will find sanctuary in areas where they can’t be caught”.

“It is important that there be a disclosure obligation at all fronts and you don’t leave some frontier of sanctuary for those who are going to predate,” she said.

Acting Catholic Archbishop of Adelaide Greg O’Kelly said he was “unaware of this (mandatory ­reporting) change … and the implications are now being considered”.

This is despite the changes being flagged last year and publicised by the government in the media since Archbishop Philip Wilson bowed to public pressure and stood aside last month after his conviction for covering up child sexual abuse.

The Australian last month ­reported that from Oct­ober the confessional would no longer be exempt from mandatory reporting laws in South Australia

Australian Catholic Bishops Conference president Mark Coleridge said no “compelling evidence” was presented to the royal commission that proved changes to the law would make children safer.