Laws requiring clergy to report child abuse to authorities — even if heard in the confession box — will come into effect on Monday, ending the 'special treatment' for Victoria's religious institutions.
Laws requiring clergy to report child abuse to authorities — even if it's heard in the confession box — will come into effect on Monday, ending the "special treatment" for Victoria's religious institutions.
The seal has now been lifted for the suspected sexual abuse of children, with spiritual and religious leaders required to report the abuse or face up to three years in prison. The laws requiring clergy to report abuse - even it is heard in the confession box - will come into effect on Monday."From [Monday], our promise to put the safety of children ahead of the secrecy of the confession is in full effect and there is no excuse for people who fail to report abuse," said Attorney-General Jill Hennessy. The changes bring religious and spiritual leaders in line with teachers, police, medical practitioners, nurses, school counsellors, and early childhood and youth justice workers, who are required to report the abuse and mistreatment of children.The Catholic Church was a staunch critic of requiring priests to break the seal, with Melbourne Archbishop Peter Comensoli publicly declaring he would rather go to jail.When asked in August if he would comply with the new laws, Archbishop Comensoli told ABC Radio Melbourne he would "personally ... keep the seal". The Children Legislation Amendment Bill 2019 followed a recommendation in the 2017 final report of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse that clergy and confession no longer be exempt from mandatory reporting. The new laws also ensure the disclosures are not exempt under the Failure to Disclose Offence in the Crimes Act, and allows survivors of institutional abuse to apply to the courts to have their unfair historical compensation payments overturned. When the Victorian Parliament passed the Bill in September, Premier Daniel Andrews said it was intended to send a message all the way to the top of the Catholic Church in Rome, while Child Protection Minister Luke Donnellan said the "special treatment" for churches had ended. "Victoria is a safer place because of these laws — there are now no excuses for people in religious ministry not to report physical and sexual abuse to authorities," Mr Donnellan said this week. Campaigner Chrissie Foster and former prime minister Julia Gillard after the national apology to victims of institutional child sexual abuse."Every Victorian has a responsibility to report child abuse and neglect to child protection authorities. We can't undo the harm caused to so many children, but we can ensure it never happens again." A spokeswoman for the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne, Annie Carrett, said the church "fully supported" mandatory reporting. "There has been extensive training that has gone into all of our people ... we are very mindful of children's rights," she said.Chrissie Foster, a high-profile advocate for victims of child sexual abuse and Member of the Order of Australia, said the need for mandatory reporting was highlighted by the case of Father Michael McArdle who - in a sworn affidavit - stated he had confessed to sexually abusing children 1500 times to 30 different priests over a 25-year period in face-to-face confessions. "The Catholic priesthood says confession is sacrosanct. I say the bodies of children are sacrosanct," Ms Foster said. "Sacrosanct means something too important or valuable to be interfered with — this describes our children and every child."
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Kourtney stuns wearing Aussie bikini labelA Bondi label has sold out of one of its bikinis after Kourtney Kardashian posted a snap flaunting her toned body in the popular item.
Read more »
Coronavirus infects more than 1,700 health workers in China, six dieChina's health commission is 'highly concerned about this issue' and has issued guidelines for the prevention and control of infection within medical institutions.
Read more »
Coronavirus more infectious but less deadly than SARS and EbolaAs the world continues to struggle to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus, concerns continue to mount about what the long-term effects will be on the globe.
Read more »
Deceased mans family want to know whose responsible for his superannuation life insuranceA grieving Australian family say their relative paid life insurance for decades – only to be left in the cold as his health deteriorated.
Read more »
US and Taliban 'reach truce agreement'The United States and the Taliban have reached agreement on a temporary truce that will take effect in the coming days and, if successfully completed, will lead to a formal ceasefire.
Read more »
Thousands more cases of coronavirus as death toll hits 1,665 peopleThere are 2,009 new cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus in mainland China, bringing its total number of confirmed cases to 68,500. 9News
Read more »