AUSTRALIA
The Australian
BY JAMIE MCKINNELLAAPAPRIL 22, 2016
The bishop of Rockhampton has restated an apology to the victims of abuse at a notorious Queensland orphanage after a royal commission found inadequate training of staff contributed to their pain.
A report by the sex abuse royal commission was released on Thursday after last year examining the St Joseph’s Orphanage Neerkol, near Rockhampton, which was operated by the Sisters of Mercy between 1940 and 1975.
The commissioners found punishments administered by nuns and other staff were “cruel and excessive” and contravened regulations.
The state government had also failed to supervise and protect the children because it didn’t properly train inspectors or provide adequate scrutiny of the orphanage.
The commission accepted Sister Berneice Loch, who became the Congregational Leader of the Sisters of Mercy in 1991, and retired Rockhampton Bishop Brian Heenan, didn’t receive training in how to detect and respond to complaints.
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