AUSTRALIA
ABC – Indigenous
By Xavier La Canna
Updated September 24, 2014
Prominent human rights campaigner Tom Calma has denied he was told of child sexual abuse occurring at the Retta Dixon home in Darwin, in response to a claim made yesterday at an inquiry.
In a statement read out at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Dr Calma – a former ACT Australian of the Year – said:
“I have never visited the Retta Dixon home, either as part of my employment or informally. To the best of my recollection, I do not believe I have ever been directly informed of any allegations of abuse occurring at the Retta Dixon home in the 1960s or 1970s by any victims of the alleged abuse.”
Dr Calma was responding to claims made by a witness at the inquiry known only as AKV, who said victims told him of abuse they suffered but that their concerns were not followed up.
AKV said Dr Calma had come to Retta Dixon as a welfare worker from the NT government.
However, Dr Calma told the inquiry he had never worked as a welfare officer with the NT government.
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