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Victoria - Event

Inquiry into the handling of child abuse by religious and other organisations (2012 - 2013)

  • A woman demonstrates outside the Victorian parliament

    A woman demonstrates outside the Victorian parliament, November 2013, by Smith, Julian
    Details

From
17 April 2012
To
2013
Website
https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/58th-parliament/fcdc/inquiry/340

On 17 April 2012 the Victorian Government announced the establishment of a Parliamentary inquiry into 'matters relating to the handling of alleged child abuse by religious and other organisations' . In response to Recommendation 48 of the Cummins Inquiry, the Family and Community Development Committee is requested 'to inquire into, consider and report to the Parliament on the processes by which religious and other non-government organisations respond to the criminal abuse of children by personnel within their organisations'.

Details

The terms of reference include:
1. the practices, policies and protocols in such organisations for the handling of allegations of criminal abuse of children, including measures put in place by various organisations in response to concerns about such abuse within the organisation or the potential for such abuse to occur.
2. whether there are systemic practices in such organisations that operate to preclude or discourage the reporting of suspected criminal abuse of children to state authorities; and
3. whether changes to law or to practices, policies and protocols in such organisations are required to help prevent criminal abuse of children by personnel in such organisations and to deal with allegations of such abuse.

Members of the Committee include four members of the Liberal Party; Mrs Donna Bauer MLA, Mrs Andrea Coote MLC, Ms Georgie Crozier MLC, and Mr Nick Wakeling MLA, and two members of the Australian Labor Party; Ms Bronwyn Halfpenny MLA, and Mr Frank McGuire MLA.

Publications

Reports

Online Resources

Photos

A woman demonstrates outside the Victorian parliament
Title
A woman demonstrates outside the Victorian parliament
Type
Image
Date
November 2013
Creator
Smith, Julian

Details

Sources used to compile this entry: Swain, Shurlee, History of Australian inquiries reviewing institutions providing care for children, Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Sydney, October 2014, https://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/sites/default/files/file-list/Research%20Report%20-%20History%20of%20Australian%20inquiries%20reviewing%20institutions%20providing%20care%20for%20children%20-%20Institutional%20responses.pdf.

Prepared by: Rosemary Francis