Abuse Survivor Gordon Hill Calls for Catholic Church to Properly Compensate Victims, Not Offer Apologies
By Charlotte King
A witness who gave harrowing evidence at the child sex abuse royal commission has called for the Government to enforce a redress scheme that would ensure the Catholic Church pay compensation to victims of past crimes. Despite the mounting evidence of the horrific legacy of clergy abuse across western Victoria, many survivors have yet to receive any compensation for the harm they endured as children and its lifelong effects. Gordon Hill, who has given evidence at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse detailing his treatment at a catholic orphanage in Ballarat, says he has waited 65 years for compensation. His body is covered in the physical scars of his abuse, making it difficult to ignore his past. "My hands are well and truly scarred, my face is scarred where they knocked out teeth, straight through the cheek bones," he said. Mr Hill spent his childhood being put to work at the St Joseph's orphanage in Ballarat. While other children learnt to read and write he was gardening, cleaning and working in the kitchens. He told the royal commission of how the nuns at the home called him number 29 and removed his teeth with pliers when he stole food. As well as physical and mental abuse, he also described regular sexual assaults from visiting priests. "The priests knew exactly which kids to pick, or the nuns used to know ... because we didn't have the outside link," he said. "We had nobody to complain to, so you were open slather." Mr Hill has never received a cent in compensation. "I don't know what the word means, because I've never had a razoo from them," he said. "The only money I ever got from that place was when I left, was two shillings and nine pence ... that was my bloody well slave labour from St Joeys, and I still got it today." Compensation offered by church 'hush money' The Catholic Church has come under increasing scrutiny for its approach to compensation for historic child abuse. It was only in 1996 that the church paid out its first victim. The Melbourne Response, which was set up by then-archbishop George Pell was used to arrange settlements outside the court process. It capped payments at a maximum of $75,000 but many victims received much smaller amounts. For Mr Hill, what was offered was hush money. "He brought them down so low that people were vulnerable at that stage, and made them sign off that you can't claim for anything else," he said. "And when you're vulnerable, people that have got nothing, you give them $5,000, that's a lot of money for one little tidbit. "But two weeks down the track when they've paid their bills, they've still got nothing. And the pain just escalates back again." Cardinal Pell was questioned about the morality of these capped payments in a 2013 Victorian parliamentary inquiry into the handling of child abuse by religious and other organisations, by committee member Andrea Coote. "Where is the morality in paying the victims of clerical sexual abuse a mere $75,000 when you have the opportunity to stay in a $30 million residence in Rome and the Catholic Church in Australia has billions of dollars of assets?" she asked at the time. "The church has never claimed that it would be unable to pay appropriate compensation," Cardinal Pell replied. "Our compensation is low in comparison with the United States. I suspect that with the vast majority of the world, we would compare quite favourably." Cardinal Pell will is due to appear before the royal commission again next week. He has said repeatedly the church would pay whatever the law recommends as appropriate compensation. Apology would mean nothing, survivor says The royal commission recommended in September that the Federal Government legislate to force the church, and any other institution responsible for child sex abuse, to pay for their past crimes. The scheme would cap payments at $200,000, and offer additional psychological help for victims and an apology from the institution. Mr Hill said he had waited 65 years to be compensated for his abuse, and would only welcome the scheme if it hurt the church financially. "I don't want an apology from them, because to me words means nothing," he said. "If that's the only way to hit them, in the hip pocket, and it hurts them, that's the only way it's got to be. "I need a fair outcome from that. I don't want a 'bloody well, I'll give you $5,000 just to shut you up'. "Not good enough." A spokesman for the Attorney General said the Government was still considering the royal commission's recommendations.
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