AUSTRALIA
The Australian
October 31, 2016
PIA AKERMAN
ReporterMelbourne
@pia_akerman
PETER HOYSTED
ColumnistCanberra
@JacktheInsider
A church lawyer tasked with helping victims of child-sex abuse in the country’s most scandal-plagued Catholic diocese has declared they no longer have to jump through any “hoops” for assistance, as a veteran police detective described how victims earlier had been pursued by private investigators working for the church.
In an interview for The Australian’s podcast Ballarat’s Children, Michael Myers has vowed the Ballarat diocese is taking victims “at face value” to offer counselling and support amid mounting pressure for a national redress scheme.
“It is a big problem that’s going to last for a long time and we’re just working at it as best we can,” said Mr Myers, a local lawyer appointed in 2014 to steer the diocese’s professional standards.
“In the past 10 years there’s been about $150,000 paid in counselling fees, for example. And in addition to that the diocese has made payments for other support costs — for medical costs, some financial assistance … they don’t have to go through any hoops, they’ll get it from the diocese.”
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