AUSTRALIA
Courier
By FIONA HENDERSON Nov. 13, 2013
OVER the past nine months, I attended three public hearings of the state government inquiry into institutionalised child abuse.
During the first, in Ballarat, I heard graphic descriptions of rape and abuse that no child should ever have to endure.
In Melbourne, I heard the Catholic diocese of Ballarat lay the blame for its appalling child sex abuse record at the feet of former Bishop Ronald Mulkearns and his poor record keeping.
I heard the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, George Pell, try to rationalise the church’s blatant failings regarding children in its care.
And I also observed a passionate committee of six MPs of all persuasions refusing to accept excuses or be awed by titles.
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