BishopAccountability.org
	Church Considers Sex-Abuse Register By Sarah Price Sydney Morning Herald October 14, 2007 http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/church-considers-sexabuse-register/2007/10/13/1191696236080.html Anglican Church members who have been accused of sexual misconduct or child abuse, or have been found guilty of committing such an offence, could find themselves on a national register. Protocols regarding the proposed register are to be debated at the Anglican Church's general synod, which starts in Canberra on Saturday. The issue was raised at the last synod, in 2004, but problems with the proposed legislation resulted in it being rewritten. Garth Blake, SC, the chairman of the church's professional standards commission, said access to the proposed register would only be available to three people in each diocese - the bishop or archbishop, the delegate of the bishop or archbishop and the director of professional standards. Mr Blake said the register could only be accessed by those people if an appointment was being considered or if disciplinary proceedings were taking place. "It doesn't mean the person won't be appointed but it does mean the decision-maker will have the opportunity to find out about the complaint or finding," he said. Mr Blake said the use of the register would also be audited to track any misuse. "If the complaint is false, vexatious or misconceived, the matters will be removed from the register," he said. The president of NSW Council for Civil Liberties, Cameron Murphy, said the system was "fraught with danger". "How does the church think they are going to deal with a system to record allegations that's going to ensure procedural fairness," he said. Mr Murphy said the states already had protocols for the employment of people working with children, including a register. "The Anglican Church should not set up its own separate system," he said. A spokesman for Broken Rites, a support group for victims of church-related sexual abuse, was in favour of the national register, saying it provided greater transparency. s_price@sunherald.com.au
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.