AUSTRALIA
The Australian
October 24, 2016
DAN BOX
Crime reporterSydney
@DanBox10
Plans to provide compensation and medical support to tens of thousands of child sex-abuse victims have run into disagreement between the federal and state governments, with victims themselves saying they are likely to reject the Prime Minister’s preferred response.
Thirteen months after the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse recommended that a $4.3 billion national redress scheme be set up, those who work with victims say they fear the opportunity to achieve this may be lost.
The royal commission recommended establishing a single, independent body able to order institutions to apologise, pay compensation to and help with the medical expenses of an estimated 65,000 victims.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk wrote to a psychiatrist who works with child-abuse victims earlier this month, saying “redress should be operated as a single national scheme by the federal government to provide equity and consistency for survivors”.
“We are committed to working with the federal government and other states and territories on the development of a single NRS (national redress scheme),” her letter said.
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