AUSTRALIA
The Australian
ON paper, the Gillard government appears to have set down sensible terms of reference for its royal commission into child sexual abuse.
For practical reasons, the commission will not deal with abuse in the family or with the physical and emotional abuse or neglect of children, unless it occurred within the context of child sexual abuse.
But even without broadening its scope to include such evils, the commissioners, announced yesterday, face a mammoth task if they are to finalise their work, as envisaged, by December 2015 and produce an interim report by June 30 next year. Led by senior NSW Supreme Court judge Peter McClellan, their broad mix of judicial, policing, community service, public policy and child health expertise will stand them in good stead.
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