Released 30/11/2017
New laws to implement findings of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse have been introduced by Attorney-General Gordon Ramsay.
The Royal Commission was established in 2013 to investigate institutions that have failed to protect children or respond to allegations of child sexual abuse.
“We now know that tens of thousands of children have been sexually abused in many Australian institutions. We will never know the true number. This is a national tragedy, perpetrated over generations within many of our most trusted institutions,” Minister Ramsay said.
“The Crimes Legislation Amendment Bill 2017 (No 2) introduces amendments to a range of criminal laws in the ACT in relation to specific sexual offences against children, and supports a number of the key recommendations of the Royal Commission.”
The Bill provides for the most serious instances of sustained and ongoing child abuse to be prosecuted.
“The amendments give effect to the Model Provision recommended by the Royal Commission, which means that the ongoing sexual abuse will be criminalised, rather than just individual sexual acts.”
“Grooming offences will also be targeted, because while these behaviours are not explicitly sexual in themselves, the acts are done with the intention of making it more likely that a child will be sexually abused,” Minister Ramsay said.
Over the past five years, the Royal Commission has held 57 public hearings, sat for 444 days and heard evidence from more than 1,300 witnesses.
Commissioners have also listened to the personal accounts of almost 8,000 survivors of child sexual abuse in institutions through 'private sessions'.
On 14 August 2017, the Royal Commission published the Final Criminal Justice Report (the report) and made 85 recommendations aimed at reforming the Australian criminal justice system.
“The report consolidates the significant work of the Royal Commission and provides an unprecedented evidence base to provide a fairer response to survivors of institutional child sexual abuse.
“As a government, we have implemented these recommendations swiftly, and will continue to work toward the elimination of child sexual abuse,” Minister Ramsay said.
- Statement ends -
Gordon Ramsay, MLA | Media Releases