In his farewell speech to parliament, retiring Labor MP Stephen Jones revealed he is a survivor of child sexual abuse. Jones also highlighted the achievements of the governments he served in, particularly the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, which provided a platform for survivors to share their experiences.
Retiring Labor MP Stephen Jones revealed in his farewell speech to parliament that he is a survivor of child sexual abuse . Jones reflected on the achievements of the governments he had served in, including the establishment of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse by former prime minister Julia Gillard in 2012.
The four-year inquiry received more than 1000 individual contributions, held 8000 private sessions, and received 26,000 letters and emails which led to more than 2500 referrals to police. Jones said the royal commission allowed survivors to share their experiences, a crucial step because 'for decades the victims had been denied; their stories, if ever told, were contested and they were told they were not true'. He emphasized, 'We reduce those concepts of strength to mean power over others. I think there's another kind of strength. It's the strength that comes from the things that you overcome and the strength that knows it's more important to do things with and for people than to them. The royal commission was a really painful experience for survivors but a necessary piece of truth-telling and reconciliation.' Survivors, including Jones, appreciate it - a point he'd never disclosed before because he didn't want to be defined by it and because he didn't want to detract attention from those who unlike him didn't have a voice and didn't have access to power to tell their story. Jones announced his decision to retire last month after 15 years as a Labor MP. He served as a Labor MP for 15 years, most recently as assistant treasurer and minister for financial services. Jones expressed pride in his role in the 2017 same-sex marriage plebiscite, the rollout of the NBN, and his work on gambling ad reform. 'We have connected every home and business to the NBN,' he stated. 'We are building new infrastructure for new suburbs, and we are restoring Medicare. I am proud of the role I played in progressing marriage equality and gambling ad reform in my early years. I am also proud of the work we have done to secure the future of our steel industry, to rebuild TAFE and as assistant treasurer, fighting scams, protecting workers superannuation, making financial advice more accessible and affordable, and strengthening consumer protections for all Australians.
Stephen Jones Labor MP Child Sexual Abuse Royal Commission Julia Gillard Retirement Politics Australia
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