Christian Porter Begins Task of Convincing States to Join Child Sex Abuse Compensation Scheme

By Amy Remeikis
Sydney Morning Herald
May 19, 2017

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/christian-porter-begins-task-of-convincing-states-to-join-child-sex-abuse-compensation-scheme-20170518-gw81pi.html

Social Services Minister Christian Porter has begun the delicate job of convincing the states and other groups to join a Commonwealth scheme designed to compensate survivors of institutional child sexual abuse.

Mr Porter will sit down with attorneys-general from across the nation in Melbourne on Friday to discuss the scheme in the first step towards convincing the states and territories to join it.

Separate meetings will be held with leaders of churches, charities and other non-government institutions as part of the same mission, with the government hoping for a "nationally consistent approach" to compensating about 60,000 survivors, which has been estimated to cost about $4 billion.

Social Services Minister Christian Porter. Photo: Andrew Meares

The child abuse royal commission, which identified more than 4000 institutions where abuse took place, recommended any redress scheme be as simple as possible for survivors to access.

Mr Porter has been tasked with making that happen, with $33 million set aside in the budget to set up the bones of the scheme, which would see survivors entitled to up to $150,000 in compensation, as well as counselling and direct acknowledgement of the wrong done to them.

The federal government is thought to be responsible for at least 5 per cent of the claims, with the scheme established under a 'responsible entity pays' basis.

But it needs the states, territories and non-government organisations to opt-in in order to work.

Mr Porter said the meetings were an important step in getting those involved on the same page.

"The most important thing is that governments and institutions do right by those who suffered whilst in our care or responsibility," he said in a statement.

"…There can be no doubt that each jurisdiction and individual institutions must make amends and take responsibility for their own wrongdoings.

"Friday's discussions will be an important step in allowing states/territories and institutions to make informed and, I would hope, positive decisions about joining the scheme. This is the only way to ensure simple and effective access to redress for survivors, which must be the highest consideration of all governments and institutions."

The royal commission into institutional child sex abuse will hand down its final report in December.