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Abuse survivors to protest at Lib HQ

9 News
May 16, 2016

http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/05/16/03/35/abuse-survivors-to-protest-at-lib-hq

Abuse survivors angry at the Turnbull government's failure to implement a national independent redress scheme will protest outside Liberal Party headquarters in Melbourne on Monday.

Care Leavers Australia Network (CLAN) executive Leonie Sheedy said child abuse survivors were hurt and angry at the federal government for ignoring the main recommendation of the Royal Commission Into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

The commission recommended a national scheme run by an independent panel as the best way to deliver justice for people still suffering the consequences of childhood abuse.

The government opted instead for the second best option - a nationally consistent scheme run by each state and territory.

Ms Sheedy said CLAN called this option the "nationally inconsistent scheme" because three states, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia had already opted out.

"What is the point of spending $500 million on a royal commission if the federal government doesn't respect the commission's number one recommendation on redress?"

She said with this approach the federal government had sent the message to churches, charities and state governments "they can get away with committing these heinous crimes against children".

The protest outside the Victoria Liberal Party headquarters in Exhibition Street in Melbourne's CBD will start at 11am.

Ms Sheedy called on Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who is a patron of CLAN, to show real leadership on this issue.

"Care Leavers across the country are determined to ensure this issue is placed firmly on the federal election agenda - and we will never, ever go away," she said.

She called for a bi-partisan approach to redress and pointed out the federal Labor Party and the Greens had committed to establishing a single national scheme.

Labor has committed $33 million in seed funding for the scheme which would see the institutions - state and non-state - contributing their share to cover claims against them.

The Catholic Church has also supported a single national scheme and has said it expects it will cost the church up to $1 billion over 10 years.

 




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