AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald
June 29, 2020
By Fergus Hunter
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has threatened the charity status and government funding of organisations that refuse to sign up to the child sexual abuse redress scheme by the Tuesday deadline.
In a letter to 25 organisations named in the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse but yet to join the scheme, Mr Morrison and Social Services Minister Anne Ruston said the institutions’ resistance was “reprehensible” and warned of heavy consequences.
The religious, community and sporting organisations – which include the Jehovah’s Witnesses and a number of Catholic groups – have been told they have until June 30 to provide a clear statement of intent to join the scheme by the end of the year.
Mr Morrison and Senator Ruston said those that refused to commit would be “publicly identified and the government is considering other actions including the appropriateness of future funding and tax status”.
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