AUSTRALIA
The Australian
Pia Akerman
From: The Australian
October 31, 2013
RELIGIOUS orders and child safety advocates have called for the federal government to establish a national agency to oversee child protection standards, describing existing state-based measures as an “untenable” approach that increases the risk of sexual abuse.
A broad range of groups have demanded the new regulatory body in submissions to the royal commission investigating institutional responses to child sexual abuse, released yesterday as the commission continued public hearings in Sydney.
The Catholic Church’s Truth, Justice and Healing Council says organisations dealing with children need a “substantial overhaul” of their policies and practices, and the absence of a mandatory national accreditations scheme backed by an external audit system is “a major limitation that increases risk”.
“There is a strong moral and ethical imperative to commit to ending the sexual abuse of children within organisations,” the council submission says. “A major shift is required to ensure that organisations become child-safe organisations.”
The council acknowledged such reforms would increase costs and administrative workloads for organisations which dealt with children, including those which operated on a small scale and were staffed by volunteers.
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