In 2013, the Australian Government launched the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. This was the direct result of allegations that child abuse in the Catholic Church was being covered up and paedophile priests were being moved around Australia and overseas.
Church leaders were protecting their brand and ‘managing scandals’ rather than involving the police.
The Royal Commission heard thousands of horrendous stories of sexual abuse from survivors. Children were abused in more than 4,000 institutions across Australia. 41,770 calls were made and 25,774 emails and letters were received from children – now adults – who had been abused.
The final report was released in December 2017.
At the recommendation of the Commission, the Australian Government launched the National Redress Scheme on 1st July 2018.
The original goal of the National Redress Scheme was to:
Survivors of child sexual abuse all over Australia were pleased to know help and redress payments were coming soon. But things were not all what they seemed. For many survivors, the National Redress Scheme has brought false hope, frustration and disappointment.
The National Redress Scheme is all well and good in theory, but in practice, many survivors of child abuse have been robbed, re-traumatised and tossed aside in favour of the financial interests of the offending institution.
Survivors have been failed in a number of horrific ways:
The National Redress Scheme is founded on greed and the Government’s willingness to put the Church, the institutions and the rich above the people.
Only 15% of the estimated 65,000 survivors have applied for redress.
The National Redress Scheme doesn’t like to advertise the average payout offered to survivors, either – the maximum allowed is $150,000 but from the results listed above, the average payout is currently $84,227.
The Scheme has been going for 2.5 years. These numbers are horrendous.
If you are considering applying to the National Redress Scheme, we urge you to speak to a solicitor first.
You only have one chance to get your application right with the Scheme. Getting it wrong will result in tears and frustration.
At Kelso Lawyers, it is our passion to help survivors of child abuse to achieve the best possible result from their compensation claim. Founded in 1986 by Peter Kelso – a survivor of foster care abuse himself – our team is experienced, compassionate and ready to help survivors and to educate those who thought the Scheme was their only option.
Get in touch with the expert team from Kelso Lawyers today and learn what your options are. There is no obligation.
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Kelso Lawyers help victims of sexual abuse to obtain compensation. No Win No Fee, over $65 million in client settlements and 30 years experience. If you’d like to apply for compensation, hit the button below. We help victims of institutional sexual abuse throughout Australia.
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The National Redress Scheme is only available for victims of sexual abuse