I have heard on the news and read in the papers about a royal commission into child sex abuse. I would like to know a bit more about exactly what is being investigated. What is this royal commission about?
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Answer by Kate Dodgson, Brisbane 4000 QLD
- This commission is investigating alleged child sexual abuse that occurred in various institutions across Australia from around the 1950s. The focus of this inquiry is into the response made by the institution when someone made an allegation of child sexual abuse.
- There have been calls for such an inquiry since the 1990s when it was revealed that the Roman Catholic Church as well as other religious and non-religious institutions had allegedly committed child sexual abuse offences and tried to cover them up.
- Some states created their own inquiries into child sexual abuse but soon realised that the task was too large.
- In 2012 the Gillard government asked the Governor General to authorise a Commonwealth Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
- On 11 January 2013 the Governor General established an inquiry.
- There are 6 commissioners and the inquiry has been given a budget of $434.1 million over 4 years.
- The final report was originally due in December 2015 but is now due in December 2017.