(AUSTRALIA)
Australian Broadcasting Corporation - ABC [Sydney, Australia]
June 9, 2026
By Eden Hynninen
In short:
An organisation representing survivor-victims of clergy abuse has torn up agreements reached with the Catholic Diocese of Ballarat.
The organisation said it had been working with the diocese towards two permanent memorials at St Patrick’s Cathedral and St Alipius Old Boys School in Ballarat.
Father Marcello Colasante from the Catholic Diocese of Ballarat says he empathises with victim-survivors after the High Court decision in 2024.
______________________________________
An organisation representing survivor-victims of clergy abuse has torn up agreements reached with the Catholic Diocese of Ballarat and has accused the church of hypocrisy.
Loud Fence and The Ballarat and District Survivors Memorial Committee said they had been working with the diocese towards two permanent memorials at St Patrick’s Cathedral and St Alipius Old Boys School in Ballarat for victims of clergy abuse.
Victim-survivor Gary Sculley said those negotiations and agreements were now null and void.
“We’ve sat down and negotiated and told them with good faith, transparency, and honesty to come to a resolution on how we build permanent memorials on these sites,” Mr Sculley said.
“But they [have] in turn treated us with no transparency, no good faith, and have been fighting survivors and the system through the courts, spending millions of dollars to try and defend the indefensible.”
‘No good faith’
Mr Sculley said concerns were heightened following the High Court decision in 2024 concerning vicarious liability, where the court determined that an institution cannot be held responsible for abuse or wrongdoing by non-employees.
Victoria and the ACT have already reversed this decision, meaning a priest, Christian brother, or a volunteer can be defined as “akin” or similar to an employee.
Both governments have approved this legislation retrospectively, allowing historical victim-survivors to set aside previous settlements and bring forward new claims.
But Mr Sculley said, despite the reversal, victims-survivors were still struggling.
“They [the church] are still persecuting victim-survivors, sitting them in the witness box for three, four days and just drilling them until they collapse and the case gets thrown out,” he said.
“That’s the tactics they were using.
“So we cannot, we will not, negotiate with a system that is treating survivors that way until they come to terms with what they’ve done wrong and accept accountability.”
On Sunday, Loud Fence members gathered at Ballarat’s St Patrick’s Cathedral to tie ribbons on the gates to support survivors of abuse, after hundreds were taken down last week by the church.
‘Living memorial for victim-survivors’
Father Marcello Colasante from the Ballarat Catholic Diocese said ribbons outside of the approved placement area were “respectfully removed”.
“The understanding reached between ourselves and Loud Fence was to designate one panel of the Cathedral fence for ribbons to be tied to, should anyone wish to do so,” Fr Colasante said.
“By doing this, with a focus on a single panel, the panel then becomes a living memorial for victim-survivors of sexual abuse.
“It highlights the ongoing commitment we all have to keeping all people safe, particularly the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults.”
But Mr Sculley said these areas were only ever meant to be an interim solution.
Victim-survivor Livio Turkevic said each ribbon represented a victim.
“The parishioners just see them as ribbons,” Mr Turkovic said.
“This system does not care about what we say, what we’re going through.”
“It’s just attack, attack, attack, until you break.”
‘Trust has been eroded’
Fr Colasante said he believed conversations were continuing in relation to the erection of two permanent memorials in Ballarat.
“My understanding is with the arrival of our new bishop, Bishop Freeman, he has clearly stated at his ordination … ‘to victim-survivors, your families and the communities deeply affected by the experience’,” Fr Colasante said.
“[Bishop Freeman said] ‘I pledge my readiness to listen, to learn and to support everything that enables healing and deep peace in your lives.'”
Fr Colasante said he empathised and sympathised with victim-survivors after the High Court decision in 2024.
“Because of that action, they have felt that trust has been eroded, so we as a church community have to work twice as hard now to regain their trust and work together towards what we need to do,” he said.
“But we also need to acknowledge that this is going to take some time.”
Sexual assault support lines:
- Men’s Referral Service: 1300 766 491
- Lifeline (24-hour crisis line): 131 114
- Victims of Crime Helpline: 1800 819 817
- Full Stop Australia: 1800 385 578
Related stories