Ballarat clergy sex abuse survivor Philip Nagle thanks St Patrick's College
BALLARAT clergy sex abuse survivor Philip Nagle has thanked the St Patrick's College student community for acknowledging and apologising for the past.
The former St Patrick's College student visited the college to meet with headmaster John Crowley and student council leaders in July.
Mr Nagle's visit followed a letter published by student leaders in The Courier in May as the first Ballarat sitting of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse was closing.
Next week the Royal Commission will send its recommendations on redress and civil litigation reforms to the Governor-General, its public release will follow shortly afterwards.
Redress for survivors is at the very centre of this Commission's work – unless government's respond positively survivors could well be left fighting their own fight against too many well resources and unsympathetic institutions.
In evidence to the Royal Commission this week retired Bishop Geoffrey Robinson spoke about the development of Towards Healing, his membership of the College of Consultors of the Archdiocese of Sydney, the operation of Encompass Australasia, his involvement with senior Vatican officials and many other issues.
His evidence will be used in a public hearing in early 2017 into the broader response of the Catholic Church to child sexual abuse by clergy and religious.
Royal Commission Hearing: Bishop Geoffrey Robinson
This special one-day hearing of the Royal Commission was called to hear evidence from retired Bishop Geoffrey Robinson who is terminally ill. His evidence will be considered in 'the Catholic wrap-up' in what is expected to be a four week hearing in early 2017.
This week's hearing focused on the history and development of the Catholic Church's response to child sexual abuse prior to the introduction of Towards Healing.
Report calls for overhaul of residential care system in Victoria
A Victorian report into the sexual exploitation of children in state care has called for substantial changes to the residential care system.
A Victorian Commission for Children and Young People inquiry has called for an urgent redevelopment of residential care services in Victoria.
The report was triggered by the dawning realisation that children in the state's residential care system, which houses many children with a history of abuse and trauma, were suffering sexual abuse at the hands of other children and predators from outside the system.
Submissions for St Joseph's Orphanage, Neerkol public hearing published
The Royal Commission has published on its website the written submissions provided to the Royal Commission in relation to the public hearing for Case Study 26: St Joseph's Orphanage, Neerkol. The public hearing inquired into the experiences of a number of men and women who were resident at St Joseph's Orphanage, Neerkol between 1940 and 1975.
The number of people enrolled in child safe training with the advocacy group Bravehearts has increased almost six-fold since the Royal Commission into Child Sexual abuse was announced in late 2012. The program teaches adults how to spot and respond to child sexual abuse.
"We're getting organisations across the board — sporting, church, commercial organisations — ringing us up," said Bravehearts Chief Executive Hetty Johnston.
