Sex Abuse Survivors Upset As Push to Scrap Time Limits on Civil Cases Fails in Wa Parliament
By Jacob Kagi
Time restrictions on when victims of child sexual abuse in Western Australia can sue for damages appear certain to remain in place until next year, despite four Government MPs crossing the floor to vote with Labor on an attempt to bring the issue to a parliamentary vote. The vote, which followed a fiery debate, means the scrapping of the six-year statute of limitations for child sexual abuse civil cases will not happen until after the state election even though both major parties have now declared support for the policy. Labor sought to bring the private member's bill introduced by Liberal backbencher Graham Jacobs to a vote this morning, following Premier Colin Barnett's comments that the legislation would not proceed until after the election. Dr Jacobs and fellow Liberal MPs Ian Britza and Peter Abetz, as well as National Wendy Duncan and Independent Rob Johnson, all voted with Labor but the motion was still defeated 23-29. The statute of limitations restricts when victims can launch civil action seeking damages to a six-year window, a constraint the Royal Commission into Child Sexual Abuse recommended be removed. Labor said it would back Dr Jacobs' bill and the Eyre MP had believed he had won Liberal Party support too, but Mr Barnett and other senior ministers later expressed concerns with the bill. Mr Barnett said there were matters that needed further consideration but, if re-elected, his Government would move to scrap the statute of limitations following next year's election. The debate on Labor's motion again included testy scenes, a week after Mr Johnson was suspended from Parliament after debate on the bill for calling the Premier a "disgraceful turd" and refusing to withdraw. Abuse survivors in the chamber wept Some survivors of abuse in the chamber for the debate wept and expressed disgust during Mr Barnett's remarks and also shooed away the Premier when he approached them to talk, while he was also heckled by one member of the gallery and branded "disgraceful" by several Opposition MPs. Abuse survivor Kirsty Pratt, who was in the chamber, said she was devastated by the outcome and took aim at the Government for not backing the bill. "Why do I continue to wait? I have not heard a decent reason," she said. "Back in April they [Liberal MPs] all voted, to a person, to vote for this legislation and now they are delaying." Some Liberals also took exception to remarks by shadow attorney-general John Quigley, who said Deputy Premier Liza Harvey would be quizzed by her own children on why she "voted to protect paedophiles" if she did not side with Labor's motion. Ms Duncan said the events of the debate showed why she was quitting politics. "To see people so wounded and so in need of bipartisan support being used as a political football breaks my heart," Ms Duncan said. Dr Jacobs said he had been left feeling "despondent" but had not given up hope. "For me it is unfinished business, but I resolve to continue the campaign," he said. Labor leader Mark McGowan said removing the statute of limitations would be a priority for a potential Labor Government, but warned the delay by failing to pass the measure this year would have severe consequences. "Every day there is delay, there is justice denied and we know that for a fact because we saw that with the asbestos companies," Mr McGowan said.
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