AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald
Tony Abbott defends funding of royal commission into sexual abuse, denying it will be short-changed
May 28, 2014
Michael Gordon and Rachel Browne
Tony Abbott has predicted that the inquiry into institutional responses to child sexual abuse will be “best-funded royal commission in Australia history” after conceding that the inquiry had underspent its budget last year.
As the commission insisted it had enough funding to perform its work, advocates expressed alarm that money had been redirected to the “pink batts” royal commission into the Rudd government’s home insulation scheme and concern that the inquiry might fail to meet increasing demand from abuse victims to be heard.
“At the moment, it seems to be adequately resourced, but the main game here will be for governments to appropriately resource the royal commission to finish its job,” said Francis Sullivan, chief executive of the Truth, Justice and Healing Council of the Catholic Church.
The inquiry is expected next month to seek an extension beyond its December 2015 wind-up date, with Attorney-General George Brandis saying any request, and that additional resources that will be required, will be “fully and properly considered”.
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