AUSTRALIA
The Australian
JULY 02, 2014
AUSTRALIAN showman Rolf Harris’s conviction on 12 child-sex charges in Britain is yet another sign that law-enforcement authorities around the world are finally dealing with a sickening evil that was hidden for decades. Like Tony Abbott, most Australians will feel gutted and dismayed at the revelations of Harris’s abuse of four girls. The most important lesson, as from other cases, is that young people need protection, though it is impossible to legislate for every twist of human behaviour. Parental vigilance must always be one of our most important defences.
Over the past 18 months, Australia’s Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has made extensive headway uncovering abuse at a range of church, community and sporting institutions. It has also shone a light on how those matters were dealt with or, in many cases, swept under the carpet. The commission has received allegations of abuse committed at 1000 institutions, referred 160 matters to police around the nation and held 14 public hearings.
In order to finish its work thoroughly, consider appropriate redress for victims and make recommendations about how to prevent and respond to abuse in future, the commission should be granted the extra two years it needs. Such an extension would give many more complainants their say and allow additional public hearings into institutions where abuse took place.
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