Page 3796 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 24 September 2019
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All adults, except a person’s lawyer, have a duty to report child sexual abuse to police. Organisations do also, and something that has happened recently is that the scheme has been expanded to include more organisations. I called for this in 2017 and I am very pleased that over the past few years the ACT government and the attorney have been very busy in this area. The scheme has expanded to include religious institutions, religious instructors, organisations such as scouting groups, educational groups et cetera.
As the royal commission emphasised in its report, it is important that adults proactively report child sexual abuse. By the very nature of the offence it may be difficult for victims to talk about it to anybody let alone the police. If adults become aware of child sexual abuse and report it to police, there is the possibility that the abuse will be stopped and no more children are abused. I have to say that unfortunately it is a possibility only because, as the royal commission made clear, historically many children who reported sexual abuse have not been believed.
It is also important that we do not look just at children from this point of view; everybody deserves a life free of abuse. Unfortunately some adults do not have that, in particular, the frail aged, the disabled, or people with mental illness. We should treat everybody in our community with respect, compassion and kindness. Where we see abuse one thing we can do is report it to relevant authorities, in general, the police.
I thank Mr Pettersson for his MPI, although I am disappointed that he did not choose to listen to the contributions of other members. I hope this will remind us and the community of the need to treat everybody with kindness and respect and compassion.
MR RAMSAY (Ginninderra—Attorney-General, Minister for the Arts, Creative Industries and Cultural Events, Minister for Building Quality Improvement, Minister for Business and Regulatory Services and Minister for Seniors and Veterans) (3.23): I thank Mr Pettersson for facilitating a discussion on a matter that is indeed a matter of great public importance. Noting the gravity of the subject, it is vital that Canberrans fully understand their obligation to report suspected child abuse following the implementation of the recommendations by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
The ACT government and, I am sure, everyone who sits in this chamber condemn the sexual abuse of children. 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 individual lives. This includes persistent failures by adults to report when they suspect a child has been subjected to abuse.
The royal commission clearly showed that children are unlikely to report abuse and face particular difficulties in being able to protect themselves. This makes it vital that adults report child sexual abuse if it comes to their attention. If abuse is not reported, a perpetrator may continue to abuse that child and other children.
The process of responding to the royal commission is one of acknowledging our collective failures as a community and taking responsibility. It is vital that, as
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