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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-06-14 Daily Xml
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Tame, Ms G.

The Hon. C. BONAROS (15:17): Supplementary: does the Attorney remain committed to further supporting Ms Tame's campaign by advocating for changes to allow access to superannuation by victims and survivors of child sexual abuse at a federal level?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (15:17): I thank the honourable member for her question. It is something that I have had correspondence in relation to, and I know it is something that Ms Tame has advocated for. What the honourable member is talking about is some mechanism where victim survivors of childhood sexual abuse might be able to seek recompense from the abuser.

Of course, if the abuser has sufficient funds, particularly in civil litigation, to pay for that, then the victim survivor can seek that recompense from the abuser. But in cases where, as not infrequently happens, the abuser does not have sufficient funds to pay, there are—and it's not just Ms Tame but other advocates who have contacted me who would like to see an ability to be able to attach, essentially, damages awarded by a court to superannuation funds.

This isn't something that we, as a state government, or any state government has control over. It is a federal matter, but I know it's something that is being considered. I have written to my federal counterpart about it. There would be a need to balance what portion of a superannuation entitlement might be attached to such judgement debt, but it is something that we are cognisant of and it is something that I have raised with my federal counterparts.

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