The Reckoning, a major new podcast series on the child sexual abuse royal commission, launched by Guardian Australia., The Guardian (December 10, 2017)

The Reckoning, a major new podcast series on the child sexual abuse royal commission, launched by Guardian Australia.

In his first podcast series, David Marr investigates the story of Australia’s world-first royal commission into how institutions concealed child abuse

A powerful podcast series on Australia’s royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse is launched today by Guardian Australia, investigating faith, money, abuse and power.

In his first podcast series, Guardian Australia’s award-winning writer and broadcaster David Marr examines how the commission came to investigate decades of child abuse, hidden by the Catholic church and other institutions.

As the royal commision prepares to deliver its final report after five years, Marr and Melbourne bureau chief Melissa Davey talk to victims, experts and participants in the royal commission to investigate: why was it necessary? What did it uncover? And what comfort can it give to the victims?

The first episode examine the long road to the royal commission, via the US and Ireland, and features interviews with Leonie Sheedy, a survivor, and Francis Sullivan, chief executive of the Truth, Justice and Healing Council which is coordinating the Catholic church’s response to the inquiry.

David Marr said: “I’ve been following this story in one way or another for a very long time and it has been thrilling to see all these old secrets brought to light, to see all these figures that blocked the way to truth to be forced to stand aside, to discover what’s really been going on in this country all this time. It’s going to change this place: we will not be the same because of this royal commission.”

The Reckoning is presented by David Marr and produced by Miles Martignoni and Melissa Davey, the series will run over two weeks.

The Reckoning will be available to listen to from the Guardian’s podcast section, Acast, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, other podcast services.

About Guardian Australia

Launched in 2013, Guardian Australia is a premium digital news site in Australia, with a total reach of 2.711m people each month (Nielsen DRM, June 2017). Guardian Australia is a trusted source of quality Australian news, with a particular focus on politics, the environment and social welfare. Guardian Australia offers national news coverage and has four bureaus located in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Canberra. Guardian Australia is also part of the Guardian’s 24-hour global news operation, helping to cover breaking international stories in all parts of the world.