Senior Church figure disciplined following child sex abuse royal commission findings

By Georgie Burgess
ABC News
February 13, 2017

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-13/former-bishop-phillip-newell-disciplined-royal-commission-report/8266438

The commission found Bishop Newell allowed a convicted paedophile to stay in the church.

Bishop Condie says the Church now has strong vetting standards for clergy.

Tasmania's Anglican Bishop has taken disciplinary action against a senior church figure following the release of the child sex abuse royal commission's findings.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse held hearings in Hobart last year to examine responses to allegations within the Church of England Boy's Society (CEBS) and Anglican Diocese, including in Tasmania.

The report confirmed that there were networks of sexual perpetrators at the Boy's Society who had knowledge of each other's sexual offending, and in some instances facilitated the sexual abuse of children.

"Historically, allegations of child sexual abuse weren't reported to the police either at all or in a timely way," it said.

"The report concluded that most CEBS branches could operate in an autonomous and unregulated way and that the abuse often occurred on camps, sailing and fishing trips as well as overnight stays at rectories and private residences."

The report also refers to evidence given that Philip Newell — a bishop in Tasmania for 18 years — was made aware in 1987 that now-convicted paedophile Louis Daniels had sexually abused three boys.

Newell allowed Daniels to stay in the church, and promoted him to a high-ranking position two years later on the basis he "amend his life".

The commission found: "In view of the fact that Bishop Newell was aware that three separate boys had complained, it is difficult to understand how he could have been assured that the conduct would not be repeated."

Anglican Bishop Richard Condie described the findings as "distressing".

"Today I have instituted disciplinary process in relation to Bishop Newell — this is a church disciplinary process that will require a period of investigation," he said.

Despite the findings, Newell cannot be stripped of his holy orders until a formal process is undertaken by the church.

"We'll be relying heavily on the royal commission work in that investigation but under church disciplinary procedures we need to follow the procedures that are in place," he said.

"Under our church laws there are a number of ways Bishop Newell can de disciplined, either by a letter of admonition, a permanent ban from ministry, through to deposition of holy orders."

The report also states that former governor-general and Archbishop of Brisbane Peter Hollingworth had made a "serious error of judgement" for allowing rector John Elliot, who admitted to abusing a child, to continue in the ministry.

Elliot was also a former Boys Society Leader in Tasmania.