AUSTRALIA
FIVEaa
December 14, 2017
The head of the royal commission that exposed decades of inaction and cover-ups of child sexual abuse wants the leaders of Australian institutions to set aside any resentment and enact real change.
Victims and child protection advocates say the job is far from over after the end of the $500 million five-year inquiry, demanding immediate action from governments, churches, charities and other organisations that failed children so badly.
Commission chair Justice Peter McClellan said many institutions and government agencies now accept they failed and must make changes, but also warned of possible holdouts.
“There may be leaders and members of some institutions who resent the intrusion of the royal commission into their affairs,” Justice McClellan told the inquiry’s final sitting in Sydney on Thursday.
“However, if the problems we have identified are to be adequately addressed, changes must be made.
“There must be changes in the culture, structure and governance practices of many institutions.”
After exposing a national tragedy involving tens of thousands of children being sexually abused over decades in more than 4000 institutions, the royal commission will recommend widespread changes by governments and organisations.
It will be up to governments and institutions to implement the recommendations in the commission’s final report to be released on Friday, which will add to its existing calls for reforms in the criminal and civil justice systems.
Survivor Joan Isaacs said the royal commission left no stone unturned in identifying the horrific nature and extent of institutional abuse and the sheer scale of cover-ups.
“The job of the commission is done, but the journey is not over. There is much to do,” she said.
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