Page 784 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 19 March 2019
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Ensuring the safety and wellbeing of children and young people is not just one of the greatest responsibilities of any government or organisation but one of the greatest responsibilities of all members of our community. It is a responsibility that all must take seriously and one which religion should not shield one from. These amendments send a clear signal that the ACT government is committed to taking actions across the statute book to reflect the reality of sexual abuse and to ensure that our laws protect already vulnerable people from victimisation.
At the time of establishing the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, then Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, said:
These are insidious, evil acts to which no child should be subject. The individuals concerned deserve the most thorough of investigations into the wrongs that have been committed against them. They deserve to have their voices heard and their claims investigated. I believe a royal commission is the best way to do this.
Their voices have been heard and now it is incumbent upon us to act to ensure as far as possible that these insidious, evil acts cannot be repeated. I commend Minister Ramsay for his ongoing work to implement the recommendations of the royal commission and commend this bill to the Assembly.
MR RAMSAY (Ginninderra—Attorney-General, Minister for the Arts and Cultural Events, Minister for Building Quality Improvement, Minister for Business and Regulatory Services and Minister for Seniors and Veterans) (5.24), in reply: I thank the Canberra Liberals and the ACT Greens for their support of this bill and acknowledge the people who have spoken on this as a matter of conscience as well. As I have said in relation to this bill and more broadly, this is indeed a responsibility we all share.
The Royal Commission Criminal Justice Legislation Amendment Bill 2019 represents the third bill to implement recommendations made in the final criminal justice report of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Through the work of the royal commission Australia has learned about the multiple and persistent failings of institutions to keep children safe, the cultures of secrecy and cover-up and the devastating effects that child sexual abuse can have on an individual’s life.
In the area of criminal justice our work to turn the royal commission’s recommendations into action has focused on supporting people who come forward and ensuring that offenders can be held accountable. We have strengthened our laws for prosecuting repeated abuse over time by ensuring that courts can consider testimony and that criminal charges can be brought forward in a way that reflects what we know now about how survivors recount their stories. We have also changed our sentencing laws to ensure that people who have access to children because of their positions of trust and reputations cannot use that good reputation to mitigate a sentence. They are just two examples of changes we have made to improve our criminal justice response to child sexual abuse.
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