Error of Judgement Says Hollingworth | Royal Commission

By Georgie Burgess
The Advocate
February 3, 2016

http://www.theadvocate.com.au/story/3704117/error-of-judgement-says-hollingworth-royal-commission/

AUSTRALIA'S former head of state says his handling of a complaint of child sexual abuse within the Anglican Church was ''misguided and wrong''.

Former governor-general Peter Hollingworth on Wednesday apologised to a survivor of abuse at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse which has been holding public hearings in Hobart.

Dr Hollingworth was the Archbishop of Brisbane when he received a complaint about former Tasmanian Church of England Boy's Society leader John Elliot.

Elliot, who was jailed in 2002 for 30 child sex offences, moved from Tasmania to Queensland in the late 1960s and continued to be involved in CEBS.

A survivor, BYB, gave evidence to the commission that he met Elliot in 1975 as a young boy through the church.

BYB said he would go on camps with Elliot and visit his house.

''My parents trusted him completely,'' BYB told the commission.

The survivor said when he was between the age of eight and 13 he had weekly contact with Elliot, and was sexually abused regularly.

BYB met with Dr Hollingworth in 1993 as a 23-year-old man to alert him to the abuse.

Elliot, who had become a priest, admitted to the abuse to Dr Hollingworth and BYB's parents, but was not removed from his position in the church.

Dr Hollingworth wrote to Elliot that there was ''no good purpose'' to be served from removing him from pastoral duties, but instructed him to stay away from adolescent boys in the church.

Elliot remained in his position of Rector of Dalby until retirement in 1996, but continued to undertake various positions in the Diocese of Brisbane.

Dr Hollingworth told the commission he now realised it was the wrong action to take, and said it was a ''serious error of judgement'' to depart from other advice given to him by a psychiatrist.

Almost breaking down in the witness stand, Dr Hollingworth apologised to BYB and said he handed his complaint poorly.

''I failed to make his needs a first priority,'' Dr Hollingworth said.

''I acknowledge, unconditionally, that my actions were misguided, wrong and a serious error of judgement that I genuinely regret.

''My actions must have heightened your distress,'' he said.

The inquiry last week heard from convicted sex offenders and Tasmanian Anglican priests Louis Daniels and Garth Hawkins.

The inquiry continues in Tasmania until Friday.