AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald
September 2, 2014
Latika Bourke
National political reporter
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse that was initiated by former prime minister Julia Gillard has been extended for another two years by the Coalition.
The royal commission requested an extra two years to complete its work in its interim report handed down in June: the government has agreed to the request and the reporting date is now set for December 15, 2017, which is after the next federal election.
Attorney-General George Brandis told the Senate on Tuesday the cost will now total half a billion dollars but said the “outlay was justified” because of the importance of the royal commission’s work.
“There is more to be learned, there is more that needs to be learned,” Senator Brandis told Parliament.
“The extension will give the commission the capacity to hear more stories from victims, conduct more public hearings and issue additional interim reports,” the Attorney-General said in a statement.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.