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Legislation introduced in 2019 in Queensland makes it mandatory for priests to report the confessions of child abusers to authorities. Those who do not, will be breaking the law.
John Thomas Lawrence, 75, has taken the Christian Brothers to court in Perth seeking aggravated damages for the horrific sexual abuse he suffered for eight years while he was placed at the Clontarf and Castledare orphanages.
While the investigation happened in 2019, there has been a trend recently with Australian sporting clubs and associations being involved in allegations involving child sexual abuse.
The Western Australian parliament in 2019 removed the statute of limitations which has allowed many victims of historic child sex abuse cases to launch civil action in WA.
The founding principal of two Christian colleges in Victoria, Billanook College and Highview College, is facing historical child sex abuse allegations dating back to his time at the schools, in the 1970s and '80s.
The son of the former head of the Hillsong Church, Pastor Brian Houston, remains under police investigation for failing to report his father’s (Frank Houston) sexual abuse of up to nine children in Australia and New Zealand since the 1970’s.
The Morrison Government has announced that more organisations have signed up to the National Redress Scheme. This includes organisations and institutions such as the Passionist Fathers and Carmelite Fathers (who were both named at the Royal Commission), Legacy Australia, Parkerville Children and Youth Care, and Ballarat and Queen's Anglican Grammar School.
On 22 October 2019, Prime Minister Scott Morrison made a speech in Parliament to commemorate the first anniversary of the National Apology given to victims of institutional child sexual abuse following the Final Report by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. At Artemis Legal, we believe that while the speech (among other things) is a step in the right direction towards bringing retribution and tranquility for many victims, there is still a long road ahead for many others for them to put their trauma behind them.
The National Redress Scheme has urged more than 40 organisations including highly prolific organisations such as the AFL, NRL, Swimming Australia and the Australian Olympic Committee to join up to the scheme as a means of demonstrating their commitment to “child-safe practices”.
Father Michael McArdle had confessed to sexual abusing 1500 children during the 25 years he served in regional Queensland. In 1996, Bishop Brian Heenan who was Bishop of Rockhampton at the time, failed to contact the police even though he had barred Father McArdle from having anymore contact with children.