❓ Question regarding the importance of extending mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse to ministers of religion and the government's staged implementation of Royal Commission recommendations. The Minister's answer defends the government's approach and criticises the opposition's stance.
AnsweredQoN 669Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ROYAL COMMISSION INTO INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSES TO
CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE —MANDATORY REPORTING — MINISTERS OF RELIGION
669. Ms E. HAMILTON to the Minister for Child Protection:
I refer to the state government's commitment to
keeping children safe, which includes implementing the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to
Child Sexual Abuse. Can the minister outline to the house why it is important that the mandatory reporting of child
sexual abuse be extended to ministers of religion; and why the
government has taken a staged approach to implementing the royal commission's
recommendations?
CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE —MANDATORY REPORTING — MINISTERS OF RELIGION
669. Ms E. HAMILTON to the Minister for Child Protection:
I refer to the state government's commitment to
keeping children safe, which includes implementing the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to
Child Sexual Abuse. Can the minister outline to the house why it is important that the mandatory reporting of child
sexual abuse be extended to ministers of religion; and why the
government has taken a staged approach to implementing the royal commission's
recommendations?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question. This is an important
matter of policy that the Parliament, particularly the other place, will get to
decide this year. This year will be a test of all representatives in the other
place. Members will be aware that the Royal Commission into Institutional
Responses to Child Sexual Abuse reported in 2017 and made 409 recommendations.
It was an extensive piece of work that made recommendations that would ensure
that changes would be put in place so that history would not repeat itself. It
was five years of work, and thousands of people contacted the commission. Tens
of thousands of calls and almost 26 000 letters and emails were received by the
commission, and over 8 000 private sessions were held. It was an extensive
piece of work that made a large number of
recommendations and has set the gold standard for how we can best prevent
sexual abuse from occurring , and also ensure that victims are heard and
perpetrators are held to account.
One of the recommended changes was that governments implement
an expansion of the mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse. It was
recommended that mandatory reporting be extended to a series of additional
professions, including out-of-home care workers, youth justice workers, early
childhood workers, registered psychologists, school counsellors and, of course,
ministers of religion.
The royal commission
explicitly recommended writing into law the clear expectation that should a religious
minister learn of child sexual abuse during confession, they would be required
to report it to authorities. That was an explicit recommendation of the royal commission. When the
report was released in 2017, the McGowan government committed to implementing all its recommendations
and we stand by that commitment. We want those recommendations to be
implemented in a phased approach to ensure that they are implemented
effectively. That has never been in question. In 2017, we committed to
implementing all the recommendations. About the other occupations, we have said
clearly, both publicly and in this house, that we would implement those in a phased
approach to ensure their effective implementation.
A bill is before Parliament that was passed in the lower
house and is now before the upper house. As a government, our commitment to the
implementation of those recommendations is not in question, but what is in
question is the Liberal and National Parties' stance on requiring
ministers of religion to break the seal of confession.
Mrs L.M. Harvey : No, it's not!
Ms S.F. McGURK : The Leader of the Opposition says that that
commitment is not in question; however, last week a parliamentary
committee of the other house, whose members include Hon Simon O'Brien,
Hon Jacqui Boydell and Hon Nick Goiran, found, and I quote —
� the case for clause 53 has not
been fully established.
Mrs L.M. Harvey interjected.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition!
Ms S.F. McGURK : Clause 53 extends the mandatory reporting of
child sexual abuse to the confession. Without the support of the other
parties in the upper house, the legislation is at risk of failing to pass.
Survivors of child sexual abuse will rightfully be asking themselves, as we are
on this side of the house: Do members of the Liberal and National Parties think that they know better than
the five-year royal commission? Why are they prioritising religious institutions over victims of child sexual abuse? Why are they not putting child
safety first? Have the Liberal and National Parties shifted their position
after they accepted amendments in this house, the Legislative Assembly?
The response from some
churches to this reform has highlighted why it is very clearly required. I am
concerned that those churches believe that they are above the law. This
is now a fundamental question of leadership. The evidence is clear, the public
support is clear and the right thing to do is clear. This side of the house is
committed to implementing this reform, and
we will campaign on this issue in the next election if the leaders opposite
cannot stand with us. There is an opportunity —
Mrs L.M. Harvey : We support
the bill.
Ms S.F. McGURK : Mr Speaker,
we continue to have interjections from the Leader of the Opposition, who says
that they support the bill.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members, if we
have this performance tomorrow, I will cut the number of questions in question
time. Minister, can you finish, please.
Ms S.F. McGURK : I am trying
to finish, Mr Speaker, but I continue to have interjections from the Leader of
the Opposition, who says that the opposition supports the bill.
The SPEAKER : Just ignore
her, minister, and finish what you have to say.
Ms S.F. McGURK : She clearly
has members of her party in the upper house who are saying that they believe
that ministers of religion should be exempt from mandatory reporting in the
confessional. That is clearly the position of some members of the upper house.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Minister, finish, please.
Ms S.F. McGURK : I want to
make it clear that this government stands by its commitment to implement the
recommendations of the royal commission. It stands with victims of child sexual
abuse.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bateman.
Ms S.F. McGURK : It stands
with the highest levels of accountability and enforcement to ensure that child
sexual abuse victims are honoured. We stand to implement the recommendations of
the royal commission.
Mr D.C. Nalder : All of them?
Ms S.F. McGURK : Yes, all of
them, member.
The SPEAKER : Minister, will
you finish up, please.
Ms S.F. McGURK : I am trying
to finish but I continue to have interjections —
The SPEAKER : Do not worry
about them. I will sit you down, minister.
Ms S.F. McGURK : I continue
to have interjections, which make it difficult. I am making my point clear—that
we stand by victims of child sexual abuse.
The SPEAKER : Do not make me
sit you down, minister.
Ms S.F. McGURK : We stand by
implementing the recommendations of the royal commission.
The SPEAKER : I will sit you
down.
matter of policy that the Parliament, particularly the other place, will get to
decide this year. This year will be a test of all representatives in the other
place. Members will be aware that the Royal Commission into Institutional
Responses to Child Sexual Abuse reported in 2017 and made 409 recommendations.
It was an extensive piece of work that made recommendations that would ensure
that changes would be put in place so that history would not repeat itself. It
was five years of work, and thousands of people contacted the commission. Tens
of thousands of calls and almost 26 000 letters and emails were received by the
commission, and over 8 000 private sessions were held. It was an extensive
piece of work that made a large number of
recommendations and has set the gold standard for how we can best prevent
sexual abuse from occurring , and also ensure that victims are heard and
perpetrators are held to account.
One of the recommended changes was that governments implement
an expansion of the mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse. It was
recommended that mandatory reporting be extended to a series of additional
professions, including out-of-home care workers, youth justice workers, early
childhood workers, registered psychologists, school counsellors and, of course,
ministers of religion.
The royal commission
explicitly recommended writing into law the clear expectation that should a religious
minister learn of child sexual abuse during confession, they would be required
to report it to authorities. That was an explicit recommendation of the royal commission. When the
report was released in 2017, the McGowan government committed to implementing all its recommendations
and we stand by that commitment. We want those recommendations to be
implemented in a phased approach to ensure that they are implemented
effectively. That has never been in question. In 2017, we committed to
implementing all the recommendations. About the other occupations, we have said
clearly, both publicly and in this house, that we would implement those in a phased
approach to ensure their effective implementation.
A bill is before Parliament that was passed in the lower
house and is now before the upper house. As a government, our commitment to the
implementation of those recommendations is not in question, but what is in
question is the Liberal and National Parties' stance on requiring
ministers of religion to break the seal of confession.
Mrs L.M. Harvey : No, it's not!
Ms S.F. McGURK : The Leader of the Opposition says that that
commitment is not in question; however, last week a parliamentary
committee of the other house, whose members include Hon Simon O'Brien,
Hon Jacqui Boydell and Hon Nick Goiran, found, and I quote —
� the case for clause 53 has not
been fully established.
Mrs L.M. Harvey interjected.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition!
Ms S.F. McGURK : Clause 53 extends the mandatory reporting of
child sexual abuse to the confession. Without the support of the other
parties in the upper house, the legislation is at risk of failing to pass.
Survivors of child sexual abuse will rightfully be asking themselves, as we are
on this side of the house: Do members of the Liberal and National Parties think that they know better than
the five-year royal commission? Why are they prioritising religious institutions over victims of child sexual abuse? Why are they not putting child
safety first? Have the Liberal and National Parties shifted their position
after they accepted amendments in this house, the Legislative Assembly?
The response from some
churches to this reform has highlighted why it is very clearly required. I am
concerned that those churches believe that they are above the law. This
is now a fundamental question of leadership. The evidence is clear, the public
support is clear and the right thing to do is clear. This side of the house is
committed to implementing this reform, and
we will campaign on this issue in the next election if the leaders opposite
cannot stand with us. There is an opportunity —
Mrs L.M. Harvey : We support
the bill.
Ms S.F. McGURK : Mr Speaker,
we continue to have interjections from the Leader of the Opposition, who says
that they support the bill.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members, if we
have this performance tomorrow, I will cut the number of questions in question
time. Minister, can you finish, please.
Ms S.F. McGURK : I am trying
to finish, Mr Speaker, but I continue to have interjections from the Leader of
the Opposition, who says that the opposition supports the bill.
The SPEAKER : Just ignore
her, minister, and finish what you have to say.
Ms S.F. McGURK : She clearly
has members of her party in the upper house who are saying that they believe
that ministers of religion should be exempt from mandatory reporting in the
confessional. That is clearly the position of some members of the upper house.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Minister, finish, please.
Ms S.F. McGURK : I want to
make it clear that this government stands by its commitment to implement the
recommendations of the royal commission. It stands with victims of child sexual
abuse.
Mr D.C. Nalder interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Bateman.
Ms S.F. McGURK : It stands
with the highest levels of accountability and enforcement to ensure that child
sexual abuse victims are honoured. We stand to implement the recommendations of
the royal commission.
Mr D.C. Nalder : All of them?
Ms S.F. McGURK : Yes, all of
them, member.
The SPEAKER : Minister, will
you finish up, please.
Ms S.F. McGURK : I am trying
to finish but I continue to have interjections —
The SPEAKER : Do not worry
about them. I will sit you down, minister.
Ms S.F. McGURK : I continue
to have interjections, which make it difficult. I am making my point clear—that
we stand by victims of child sexual abuse.
The SPEAKER : Do not make me
sit you down, minister.
Ms S.F. McGURK : We stand by
implementing the recommendations of the royal commission.
The SPEAKER : I will sit you
down.
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