Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Families and Payments) Share this | Hansard source

I am very pleased to be speaking on this motion moved today by my friend the member for Swan. He and I have done a lot of work together on these issues, and I commend him for all that he has done. As the motion indicates, the Turnbull government announced in early November that it would implement a national redress scheme. Of course, we understand that no amount of money can make up for the pain and trauma experienced by the survivors of child sexual abuse, but we believe that redress can be a very important step along the road to healing for survivors of child sexual abuse. That is why Labor announced back in October 2015 that we would establish a national redress scheme for survivors of institutional child sexual abuse.

Of course, it was a Labor Prime Minister who, some seven years ago now, apologised to the forgotten generations. The member for Swan was very helpful in making that a very important occasion. It was Labor under Prime Minister Gillard that established, more than three years ago, the royal commission into institutional child sexual abuse.

We do acknowledge the decision by the current government to fund trauma counselling and other supports. It is a very important decision they have made. We also acknowledge the decision to appoint an advisory committee made up of survivors and their supporters. We believe that these are important developments and we welcome them. However, federal Labor does have concerns about the Commonwealth government's proposed opt-in redress scheme for survivors of child sexual abuse. Under the proposed scheme, states and institutions responsible for perpetrating child sexual abuse can opt-in to the scheme. Labor is concerned that this means that, if institutions that perpetrated the abuse do not want to pay, they will not have to. Many survivors of institutional child sexual abuse have been waiting their whole lives to redress and they should not have to worry about whether or not states or institutions decide to opt-in to the redress scheme.

I was at the AGM of the Care Leavers Australia Network, otherwise known as CLAN, a couple of weeks ago and I heard yet again firsthand their view that the opt-in nature of the scheme is a very big worry for survivors. The idea that some institutions responsible for these crimes might decide not to opt-in to the redress schemes offends their sense of justice and, I would have to say, mine. As I told the 'CLANies' that day, Labor will continue to fight for them. We will fight for a fair and consistent redress scheme so that people get the compensation they deserve. We will, of course, continue to work closely with all of those involved to scrutinise the details of the scheme when it is fully release. We will do all that we can to make sure that survivors have access to one national scheme, as recommended by the royal commission.

We are also very concerned that not a single state or territory has agreed to be part of the scheme. Until these negotiations are finalised and survivors have certainty that they will get what they deserve, I am sorry to say that this announcement will be of very little comfort. That is why I urge the Turnbull government to immediately secure the agreement of each state and territory government and the institutions responsible for abuse to make this a truly national redress scheme. Redress can be achieved only if perpetrators of child sexual abuse are required to pay redress to survivors.

I want to finish by acknowledging the extraordinary courage of survivors as they have come forward to the royal commission. The evidence given at the royal commission has shocked many Australians. I want to take this opportunity here today to acknowledge the way in which people have come forward and told their stories. For years they were not believed. I want to say to them today that you are believed. We believe you and it is time for justice. (Time expired)

See this speech in context