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Alleged paedophile should have been questioned: Royal Commission hear

By Rachel Browne
Sydney Morning Herald
July 13, 2016

http://www.smh.com.au/national/alleged-paedophile-should-have-been-questioned-royal-commission-hears-20160712-gq4hao.html

Not investigated: A man suspected of abusing three children left Australia without being questioned by police.
Photo by John Donegan

An alleged sexual predator who left Australia following claims he abused three children with disability in his care should have been the subject of a thorough police investigation, a royal commission has heard.

The disability support worker from the Mater Dei School in Camden left Australia for the UK 25 years ago and has not returned, according to evidence before the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

The commission heard no action was taken against the man, given the pseudonym CID, because he had resigned from the school.

A district director with the Department of Family and Community Services and former police officer told the public inquiry CID should have been interviewed by the authorities.

Under cross examination from counsel assisting the commission, Gail Furness SC, FACS district director Gary Groves said more should have been done.

"The fact that (CID) had left Mater Dei was not a proper reason for not continuing any action," Ms Furness said.

Mr Groves responded: "You would expect . . . they would have interviewed that particular person and continued the investigation."

The inquiry heard that if the same scenario arose today, police would locate the alleged suspect and an investigation would be ongoing.

"We don't just walk away," he said. "The police would continue the investigation."

The inquiry into disability service providers heard that some smaller non-government organisations in the Illawarra-Shoalhaven district which Mr Groves manages lacked expertise in child protection.

"What we do see is some smaller NGOs sometimes don't have the capacity to keep their staff for a number of reasons and it is necessary for us (to do) joint training with NGOs to build their skill level," he said.

The NSW Government is in the process of transferring staff from the Aging Disability and Home Care unit of FACS to the non-government sector as part of the transition to the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Mr Groves told the commission the move would improve the quality of disability care in the non-government sector.

"(It will) build the capability and the skills that we would like to see in NGOs in the disability space," he said.

The inquiry will examine what safeguards will be in place under the NDIS which commenced its national roll out this month.

The hearing, before Justice Jennifer Coate​, continues.

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