Kelso
Lawyers, 23
October 2018:
On 22 October 2018,
Prime Minister Scott Morrison apologised to the thousands of survivors of
institutional child abuse.
There’s no refuting the
power of a sincere and considered apology. As Mr Morrison delivered his apology
from Parliament yesterday, emotions were high and many tears were spilled. He
made promises of a National Museum for a place of remembrance and a commitment
to “bring some healing to our nation and to learn from our past horrors.”
Yet, there was something
off about his speech. As Mr Morrison acknowledged the good work of Julia
Gillard’s Royal Commission and the commencement of the National Redress Scheme, it became apparent that this was
one big advertisement for the widely criticised National Redress Scheme,
dressed-up as a national apology.
The sentimental words
and heartfelt delivery by the Prime Minister were not enough to mask the stench
of the hypocrisy in the air. “The National Redress Scheme… recognises the
impact of past abuse and provides justice for survivors,” he said. Mr Morrison
went on to list the ways in which child abuse impacts victims, acknowledging
that some turn to drugs and crime. He stated, “A sorry from a nation that seeks
to reach out in compassion into the darkness, where you have lived for so
long”, adding that “One survivor says it was like becoming a stranger to your
parents – mental health, illness, self-harm and addiction followed.”
At one point, Mr
Morrison paused and questioned, “Why was our system of justice blind to
injustice?” As he lamented over the failings of the past in one breath, and
praised the National Redress Scheme in the next, his own blindness to present
day injustice was more apparent than ever.
Might it be the log in
his own eye impeding his sight?
For a Government which supposedly
understands the plight of institutional abuse victims, the Scheme which it
created is tragically and inexcusably unjust. Despite the clear connection
between childhood trauma and substance abuse and crime in adulthood, the
National Redress Scheme seeks to specifically exclude victims with a criminal
history from redress. Nowhere in its recommendations, did the Royal Commission
propose excluding victims on this basis.
This is only one example
of bias and injustice in the National Redress Scheme. In reality, it is an obstacle course designed to reduce liability for
Churches and Institutions. It’s not what Julia Gillard intended.
Fortunately, victims
still have hope as the National Redress Scheme is only one option for
compensation. [my yellow highlighting]
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