AUSTRALIA

Victorian government to pay $600 million for sex abuse compensation

According to The Age, the state government is preparing to pay out up to $600 million in the next 10 years to Victorians sexually abused in state institutions as part of the official national “redress” scheme. This does not include those who may have been abused at non-government institutions, such as Catholic schools or religious institutions, who could also apply for redress. Victorian Attorney-General Martin Pakula says Victorian government and non-government institutions will be able to participate in the Commonwealth scheme from this week with the Catholic Church, Anglican Church, Uniting Church, Salvation Army and the Scouts having all signed up, and will be run by Centrelink and the Department of Human Services.

Queensland Government response to Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse

According to a QLD Government Media Release, the Queensland Government has accepted or supported in principle more than 240 recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The reports of the Royal Commission made a total of 409 recommendations, some of which have already been implemented in Queensland and many on which work has already commenced. Of the recommendations made, Queensland has accepted 88; accepted in principle 156; referred for further consideration 89; and noted 76.

ACT Government agrees to all recommendations from Royal Commission

The ABC News reported that the ACT Government has officially adopted 290 recommendations from the Royal Commission, including creating a criminal offence for not reporting allegations revealed during confession. Of the 307 recommendations that apply to states and territories, the territory has listed 16 for further consideration and one as noted, saying those require more work. But Mr Barr says his government has told Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull it will implement all the recommendations. Some recommendations have already been implemented including legislation passed last week extending the ACT's Reportable Conduct Scheme to religious institutions.

Catholic leaders 'willing to go to jail' to uphold seal of confession and not report child sex abuse

The New Daily has reported that with the passing of the Ombudsman Act 2018 in ACT, priests would be forced to break the confessional oath for the first time. The Catholic Church has immediately pushed back against the new laws. The ABC News has also written a follow up article reporting that the South Australian Catholic Church says it has been blindsided by news that clergy will have to report child abuse revealed to them in the confessional as well. From 1 October 2018, South Australia will become the first state where priests will be legally obliged to report any confessions of child sex abuse. If they don't they could receive a $10,000 fine. Also according to the ABC News, (and in this article) Catholic priests have said they are not willing to break the seal of confession to report child sex abuse, and would rather go to jail than abide by the law. Other states are still deliberating over whether or not they will adopt that recommendation from the royal commission.

Parents demand more action on severe bullying at Queensland schools

According to News.com.au, desperate parents fed up with their kids being bullied are going to extreme lengths such as creating Facebook profiles to take on the bullies. Students are allegedly being sent death threats, slut shamed on social media and told to kill themselves, leaving them too scared to go to class. But the Queensland Education Minister Grace Grace said appropriate action was being taken and the State was actually leading the way in addressing bullying, which was not just a school issue but a community responsibility. Minister Grace said there was no place for bullying or violence in schools. Last week, she met with 16 student representatives for the first Ministerial Student Advisory Council Meeting, where bullying and cyber-bullying was the first matter discussed. Their feedback and ideas will be progressed to the Queensland Anti-Bullying and cyber-bullying Taskforce to help inform Government policy.

Victoria Takes ‘Exciting Step’ to Reduce Red Tape for Charities

According to Pro Bono Australia, it was announced on Thursday that the Victorian Minister for Consumer Affairs, Gaming and Liquor Regulation Marlene Kairouz, had officially signed the exemption order that will reduce red tape for incorporated associations. The move means from 1 July, incorporated associations that are also charities registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) will no longer need to lodge an annual statement with Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) or pay an annual statement lodgement fee to CAV. It follows years of work between the ACNC and CAV to end duplicated reporting obligations, which were costing Victorian charities both time and money.

School truancy crackdown would see SA parents fined $5,000

The ABC News reported that fines for parents who fail to make sure their children go to school will increase tenfold — to $5,000 — under new laws to be introduced to South Australia's Parliament. Education Minister John Gardner said the fines follow unsuccessful attempts to engage with families to address the reasons behind their child's truancy. Under the legislation, principals and education department officials will hold formal family conferences to address issues behind the non-attendance. When families are unwilling to engage in family conferences, a legal response would be pursued.

Backdown as minister orders review of 'confusing' school council rules

The Age has reported that in an embarrassing backdown, the Education Minister has ordered a review of the rules for school councils after they were quietly stripped of some of their powers. Guidelines recently released by the Education Department state that anti-bullying, student behaviour, cultural diversity and technology policies are no longer the responsibility of school councils. An Education Department spokesman said the changes have been made to bring the guidelines into line with existing legislation. From the start of this year it also became mandatory for a student to be appointed to every school council and given full voting rights.

INTERNATIONAL

Nearly 1,300 students victims of sexual offences by school staff over last 2 decades, Canadian study says

The CBC News reported that nearly 1,300 Canadian children have been victims of sexual offences carried out — or alleged to have been carried out — by school employees in the last two decades, according to the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. An examination of sexual assault cases involving staff at kindergarten to Grade 12 schools in Canada found 714 employees or former employees were linked to sexual offences against schoolchildren between 1997 and 2017, says a report from the child protection centre, based in Manitoba. Officials believe the study is the most comprehensive inventory of child sexual abuse involving school employees in Canadian history. Seventy per cent of the perpetrators engaged in grooming practices, in which an authority figure builds trust with a child and the adults around them over time to gain one-on-one access to the child. Along with their primary occupation in a grade school, 138 offenders received further access to exploited children through another position, such as coaching a sports team. The victims were 75 per cent female (69 per cent high school, 17 per cent middle school and 14 per cent elementary school) and 25 per cent male (69 per cent high school, 20 per cent middle school and 11 per cent elementary school).