National Redress Scheme

The Hon. M. EL DANNAWI (14:41): My question is to the Attorney-General. Will he inform the council about the recent National Redress Scheme Survivor Roundtable he hosted, along with the Hon. Amanda Rishworth MP, Minister for Social Services?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (14:41): I thank the honourable member for her question. It was a great privilege to co-host the National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse Survivor Roundtable in South Australia yesterday. Together with the Hon. Amanda Rishworth, the Minister for Social Services, the round table facilitated a day for survivors of institutional child sexual abuse and their support workers and families to share their experience in engaging with the redress scheme, with attendees being at various stages of applying for redress.

Survivors at the round table were also invited to share their ideas about how the redress scheme can be made more accessible to survivors and how awareness can be raised amongst those survivors yet to apply for redress. It was very moving to hear stories direct from survivors about their experiences of institutional abuse as children, and then go on to share their stories about accessing the redress scheme, including compensation and receiving a direct personal apology for the abuse they experienced.

This round table was an opportunity for both the state and federal government redress public servants to hear back from survivors and continue to ensure that the scheme provides justice to those brave survivors. The last round table of this kind was held earlier this year in Perth on 6 March 2024, where Western Australian survivors also had an opportunity to provide their reflections on the scheme's operation to date.

As the minister with responsibility for redress in South Australia, I am committed to ensuring the scheme, in its second half of operation now, is responsive to the need of survivors. Since the commencement of the scheme on 1 July 2018, in response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, there has been a significant uptake in the supports and services offered through the scheme. Amongst many things, the National Redress Scheme acknowledges the widespread sexual abuse of children in Australian institutions; it recognises the suffering endured by survivors; holds institutions to account for the abuse; and helps people who experienced institutional child sexual abuse gain access to counselling, a direct personal response and a redress payment.

I support and commend the commonwealth's efforts to maximise scheme participation, whether that be by prohibiting non-participating institutions from receiving further commonwealth funding or removing their charitable tax status. These are important steps towards improving access for survivors and ensuring that institutions are held to account for the abuse they are responsible for. I would like to thank all officials from the commonwealth DSS redress team, the state redress unit officials and all staff who work within the redress scheme, including counsellors and support officers who facilitate the important compensation and acknowledgment that the scheme provides.