AUSTRALIA
The Australian
NOVEMBER 03, 2014
Mark Coultan
State Political Correspondent
Sydney
THE NSW government has told its agencies not to use the statute of limitations to avoid claims of child abuse, as part of its response to the royal commission into institutional child abuse.
The royal commission has heard the NSW Crown Solicitor’s office pursued a strategy of trying to deny claims on the basis of the passage of time, suggested spying on those making claims, and spent almost $1 million on legal fees before paying about $100,000 in compensation.
The NSW Attorney-General Brad Hazzard said that cultural change was required. Claims would be finalised as quickly as possible with agencies guided by an understanding that litigation could be a traumatic experience.
The government would issue guidelines to its agencies on how to respond to claims for child sexual abuse. The underlining principle would be compassion for the victims, he said.
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