AUSTRALIA
Perth Now
ANNETTE BLACKWELL AAP JUNE 30, 2014
In 18 months the child sex abuse commission has revealed just the tip of a deep iceberg.
EXPLOSIVE claims by a NSW detective that the Catholic Church covered up evidence of pedophile priests led to the creation of one of the biggest royal commissions ever in Australia.
THE pressure on government to call a national inquiry grew as public outrage gained momentum over Peter Fox’s allegations of cover up by the church and police.
When then Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced on November 12, 2012 a Royal Commission into institutional responses to instances and allegations of child sexual abuse in Australia there had already been 300 various child abuse inquiries across three decades – but nothing like this.
On January 11, 2013 Justice Peter McClellan was named head of a six-member panel and by February terms of reference were announced.
The number of commissioners and scope of the inquiry signalled the wide-ranging forensic power this commission would have – it could compel powerful institutions to open their archives and ledgers and powerful people to give evidence.
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