Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that, on 14 August, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse released a report on criminal justice, and made 85 recommendations to reform the Australian criminal justice system to ensure a fairer response for victims of institutional child sexual abuse;

(b) acknowledges that the report outlines a sweep of legislative and policy changes including:

  (i) reform to policy and prosecution responses,

  (ii) criminalising failure to report child sexual abuse in institutions, including information given during religious confessions,

  (iii) sentencing standards in historical cases, and

  (iv) introduced or amended legislation to adopt a 'broad grooming offence'; and

(c) urges the Attorney-General to work with states and territories to respond to its recommendations.

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Commonwealth will carefully consider the royal commission's 85 recommendations. The government thanks the royal commission for its painstaking work in developing recommendations traversing policing offences, prosecutorial practices, evidence, judicial directions and other means of informing juries, delays, sentencing, appeals and considerations relating to juvenile offenders. Many recommendations including those conceding mandatory reporting relate primarily to state and territory legislation, and so will largely be matters for those jurisdictions. The government will continue to work collaboratively with the states and territories in responding to the royal commission's recommendations.

Question agreed to.