AUSTRALIA
SBS

Legal and human rights groups say religious organisations and employees must be subject to the same laws as everyone else.

Legal and human rights groups want the legal protection of the Catholic Church to be changed so it can be sued by victims of sexual abuse.

Groups including the Law Institute of Victoria (LIV), Liberty Victoria and Ryan Carlisle Thomas Lawyers say religious organisations are typically unincorporated associations that cannot be sued.

In submissions to the Victorian government’s inquiry into the handling of child abuse by religious and other organisations, the groups say religious organisations, including the Catholic Church, are able to avoid liability through organisational and corporate structures.