AUSTRALIA
Sky News

The Anglican Archbishop of Perth Roger Herft had a ‘brown paper envelope’ system to deal with child sex abuse complaints when he was bishop in a NSW Anglican diocese where abuse was widespread.

The envelopes containing information about child sex abuse allegations and other matters brought to the attention of the diocese of Newcastle were dealt with by a review committee.

They were created as a more secret filing system by Bishop Herft, solicitor Keith Allen told a child sex abuse royal commission on Monday.

Mr Allen, a former trustee of the diocese, was questioned about advice he gave the church in 2015 in readiness for the royal commission hearing which began last week.

In that advice, recorded by the current business manager of the diocese, John Cleary, Mr Allen suggested Archbishop Herft would be in trouble over the brown paper envelopes.