AUSTRALIA
9 News

Tyron Butson

The head of the Hillsong Church has told an abuse inquiry he did not report allegations his preacher father had sexually abused a young boy to police because he believed it was the victim’s “prerogative” to report the incident.

Senior Pastor Brian Houston also today told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse he did not see a conflict of interest in his heading up the internal investigation into the allegations, despite being the son of the man accused.

The commission is examining the handling of allegations against Brian Houston’s father William Francis Houston, better known as Frank.

It has already heard Houston admitted to the abuse, which took place several decades ago in New Zealand and Australia.

But in late 1999 when allegations that the senior Houston had sexually abused a boy, who can only be identified as AHA, in…