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Royal Commission into Child Abuse to Hold Regional Public Hearings This Year

By Dan Conifer
ABC News
January 15, 2015

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-01-15/royal-commission-into-child-abuse-hold-regional-public-hearings/6018194

PHOTO: The royal commission has held public hearings in each capital city and will now open its doors in regional areas. (ABC News: Louise Merrillees)

The Royal Commission into Institutional Child Sexual Abuse is set to hold public hearings in regional Australia for the first time.

The commission was established in 2013 and has held public sessions in every capital city.

Commissioners have privately interviewed victims outside metropolitan areas, but survivors and lawyers have called for the commission to hold hearings in regional Australia.

The commission has announced it will hold public hearings in country areas this year and is likely to visit multiple regional centres.

Ballarat abuse survivor Andrew Collins said it was fantastic news.

"There was so much of the abuse that has happened in country areas and it is good that they are coming out so that these people will have a voice and that information will finally come out," Mr Collins said.

"There are a lot of things that have been hidden that need to be aired and we are really looking forward to it.

"By making these things public it puts confidence both in victims and in the public that these things will be acted on, that you cannot hide, that all these misdeeds from the past will come back."

A spokeswoman for the royal commission said they were yet to confirm dates or locations for the hearings.

"We are still in planning stages regarding our public hearings," she said.

"At this stage we are unable to confirm any further details."

By making these things public it puts confidence both in victims and in the public that these things will be acted on.

Andrew Collins, Ballarat abuse survivor

Survivors and advocates say the western Victorian city of Ballarat, Newcastle in the Hunter Valley or Bathurst in central west New South Wales could host the commission.

Bernard Barrett from survivors support group Broken Rites said the open hearings would prompt more people to come forward.

"Either to speak privately to the royal commission or to speak to the police," Dr Barrett said.

"Even if the hearing is only held in one part of one state in Australia it does encourage regional areas in the other states to think about the issue and perhaps victims there could contact the royal commission, or better still contact the police," he said.

Dr Barrett said many victims in regional areas have remained silent for longer.

"Sometimes in a country town the victims were intimidated into remaining silent for many, many years for fear of embarrassing their parents or the grandparents," he said.

"The victims had to wait until grandma died or their parents died and then they would report the abuse.

"Often [abuse was] covered up much longer in the rural areas because of the local community's sense of embarrassment."

 

 

 

 

 




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