MARK DREYFUS
SHADOW ATTORNEY-GENERAL
SHADOW MINISTER FOR CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM
MEMBER FOR ISAACS
HON LINDA BURNEY MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR FAMILIES AND SOCIAL SERVICES
SHADOW MINISTER FOR INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS
MEMBER FOR BARTON
SURVIVORS CANNOT WAIT ANY LONGER FOR MORRISON GOVERNMENTS INACTION ON REDRESS
The Morrison Government has failed survivors of child sex abuse and their families with its response to the 29 recommendations of the parliamentary committee overseeing the implementation of the National Redress Scheme.
The scheme which commenced 1 July 2018 has been marred by lengthy delays in redress being delivered to survivors, survivors passing away without receiving redress and survivors waiting indefinitely as the institutions responsible for abusing them refuse to sign up.
The scheme was originally estimated to provide redress for 60,000 survivors.
But more than 18 months into the scheme fewer than 1,000 survivors have received redress and another 1,000 applications for redress are on hold.
Despite this, the Morrison Government has only agreed to a third of the parliamentary committees recommendations, and in the majority of cases has refused to commit to any action.
It has refused to respond to the many concerns that have been raised by survivors and survivor advocacy groups over such crucial issues as the ongoing failure of institutions to sign up to the scheme, the cap on payments, the indexing of payments and the framework through which abuse is assessed.
The deadline for organisations to sign up to the scheme ends in June this year.
We urge the Government to ensure organisations join, and actually take concrete steps that will ramp up the pressure on recalcitrant organisations who are not doing the right thing.
People have waited long enough. This is urgent.
WEDNESDAY, 19 FEBRUARY 2020
