AUSTRALIA
Newcastle Herald

FORMER NSW premier Barry O’Farrell has called for a high-ranking Catholic priest to be sacked from a key leadership position for not reporting child sexual abuse to police.

Mr O’Farrell in a speech to parliament on Tuesday night called for Father Brian Lucas, general secretary of the Catholic Bishops Conference, to be stood down.

The former leader made the comments while criticising the church’s response to Commissioner Margaret Cunneen’s damning report in late May into an alleged cover-up of child sexual abuse in the Catholic diocese of Maitland-Newcastle.

Father Lucas gave evidence on Tuesday at the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse in Canberra.

‘‘He is also a lawyer, which is a relevant fact because he, more than anyone involved in the sorry, squalid and scandalous saga, should have respected the law and reported illegal activities to police,’’ Mr O’Farrell said.