AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald
October 17, 2014
Rachel Browne
Social Affairs Reporter
Australian Pentecostal churches might have to enforce a strict national child protection policy as a condition of registration with their umbrella body Australian Christian Churches, a royal commission has heard.
The national president of Australian Christian Churches, Wayne Alcorn, told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse that the organisation would review its structure after listening to shocking cases of abuse which occurred at three affiliated churches.
A mandatory and enforceable child protection policy for the ACC’s 1000 churches will be discussed at the national executive conference in April next year.
“We will seriously examine whether or not we can demand, for ongoing registration, the adoption and adherence to a policy for child protection,” he said.
Churches registered with the ACC are independently run by their senior pastors and not currently required to adopt any policies from their umbrella body.
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