Released 01/05/2018
The ACT Government has today announced it has signed the Intergovernmental Agreement for the national Redress Scheme for child sexual abuse survivors.
The ACT has joined Victoria in being the first jurisdictions to sign up to Intergovernmental Agreement, another significant step forward to the Redress Scheme commencing in July.
The Redress Scheme was a key recommendation of the Royal Commission into Institutionalised Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
Attorney-General Gordon Ramsay said the Redress Scheme, which the ACT announced it would join in March, was an important part of acknowledging harm caused by institutionalised child sexual abuse.
“We acknowledge that the survivors of child sexual abuse suffer long lasting and severe damage that can affect them for the rest of their lives,” Minister Ramsay said.
“It is important that all survivors of child sexual abuse should be afforded the chance to receive acknowledgement that harm has been done, access to counselling and a direct personal response.
“This process is about healing while accepting the system failed every single person in Australia who suffered sexual abuse in an institution that was meant to protect them.”
While the signing of the Intergovernmental Agreement is an important step forward in establishing the scheme, more details are still be finalised before it commences.
“We will continue to work with our Commonwealth, state and territory counterparts to ensure the Scheme meets the needs of survivors and is broadly accessible to all victims of institutional child sexual abuse,” Minister Ramsay said.
“Work is also continuing on finalising the ACT Government’s formal response to the Royal Commission, which we look forward to delivering in June.”
The Redress Scheme will begin operating on 1 July. Through the scheme survivors can access counselling and psychological services, a direct personal response from the institution where the abuse occurred and monetary payments of up to $150,000.
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Gordon Ramsay, MLA | Media Releases