Child Abuse Royal Commission: Complaint Protocols Not Always Followed, Brisbane Archbishop Tells Inquiry

By Leonie Mellor
ABC News
November 20, 2015

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-20/child-abuse-royal-commission-told-protocols-not-always-followed/6958574

Brisbane's Anglican Archbishop Phillip Aspinall has admitted to the child sexual abuse royal commission that protocols to deal with complaints have not always been followed.

Dr Aspinall resumed giving evidence to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Sydney today, which has been looking at how two prestigious Brisbane boys schools handled sexual abuse complaints.

Last week, the Anglican Church said it would reimburse tuition fees for all students who suffered sexual abuse at their schools within the Diocese of Brisbane, which covers much of southern Queensland.

One of those schools, St Paul's School at Bald Hills on Brisbane's north side, employed two men who molested students, former school counsellor Kevin John Lynch and music teacher and convicted paedophile Gregory Robert Knight.

Dr Aspinall has been Archbishop of Brisbane since February 2002.

He told the royal commission that sexual abuse complaints had dominated his first 12 months in the role.

But he said he had since tried to put in place better procedures to deal with the issue.

Dr Aspinall told the inquiry today the diocese had come a long way in dealing with child sexual abuse complaints, pointing to protocols that existed in 1997, which relied on mediation.

"Putting them [the abused student] in a room to mediate with their perpetrator is entirely inappropriate," he said.

Instead he said the protocols now made it clear child abuse was a crime that needed to be reported to authorities.

He told the hearing he had failed in not taking an active interest in what the church's insurers were doing early on as abused students sought compensation.

Dr Aspinall admitted to one or two instances under his leadership where policies had not been followed fully by the director of professional standards.

"Then I have had occasion to haul our director over the coals and point him to the policies to ensure they're followed," he said.

Meanwhile, a key witness due to give evidence about St Paul's School, former general manager of the Brisbane Anglican diocese Bernard Yorke, failed to appear for medical reasons.

Mr Yorke has been criticised for his role in handling complaints from abused students.

The inquiry heard Mr Yorke encouraged one student to keep the complaint to himself and get on with his life.

Today's hearing in Sydney has been adjourned until the end of the month when it is due to hear from Mr Yorke.