Royal Commission Examines Newcastle and Grafton Dioceses

The ABC News
November 18, 2013

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-18/royal-commission-examines-newcastle-and-grafton-dioceses/5098064

Newcastle's Christ Church Cathedral.

The Royal Commission into child sexual abuse will this week look at how the Anglican Dioceses of Newcastle and Grafton responded to allegations of abuse against a reverend of the church.

The third public hearing of the Royal Commission begins in Sydney today.

It will examine the response by the Anglican Diocese of Grafton to claims of child abuse at the North Coast Children's home in Lismore.

The home was set up in the 1930s to look after orphans or abandoned children.

It is estimated that at least 200 children were sexually and physically abused there up until the 1980s.

One of the victims is Tommy Campion, who was sent to the home when he was just two years old.

His sister was four.

"My mother ran away, and so my father had us so he put us in the home," he said.

The 65-year-old says the 14 years he spent at the home were hell, with children being sexually abused, humiliated and flogged by the matrons and clergymen in charge.

"Beaten with sticks, belts, electric cords. At times he would use a belt buckle until the kid was left there bleeding and crying.

"Then he would go to church."

He waited until he was 58 to speak out, and his actions helped secure compensation for 38 victims.

Tony Madden is an experienced worker in child protection who supported Tommy Campion.

"I've never seen such a spirit of social justice," he said.

In May 2013, the bishop of Grafton Keith Slater resigned, after admitting he did not pass on all complaints to the church's management

The Royal Commission will be examining the policies and procedures of the Grafton diocese for handling child sexual abuse claims and how the dioceses of Grafton and Newcastle responded to allegations of abuse by Reverend Allan Kitchingman.

Kitchingman was jailed in 2002 after pleading guilty to sexually abusing a youth from the Lismore children's home.

Royal Commission CEO Janette Dines says Kitchingman worked in both Newcastle and Grafton.

"The person responsible for professional standards that's the person responsible for handling claims and determining how allegations are responded to that person was actually responsible for both the Grafton and Newcastle dioceses.

"So that's the link to the Newcastle diocese."

About 20 witnesses are expected to give evidence at the hearings.