The Catholic Government is waging a war against victims of institutional child sex abuse

They (the Government) don’t want you to know about the National Redress Scheme they don’t want you to know your rights.

The Redress Scheme isn’t a patch on what the Royal Commission actually recommended for victims.

Justice McClellan wanted to see the top payment capped at $200,000. He wanted the scheme to be compulsory for all institutions. He wanted a matrix where victims were compensated based on how badly the sexual assaults had impacted their lives.

None of that has happened.

The Government have put up roadblocks to ensure Redress Scheme applicants are kept in the dark.

We don’t know what’s more horrific – the fact the National Redress Scheme is actively discouraging victims to seek private, specialised advice from experienced solicitors, or the fact that they are contacting the clients (and their families) of those who have already engaged with a private solicitor.

The privacy and confidentiality rights of the victims have been thrown out the window by the Scheme – they’ve been secretly calling clients, and in one case, discussing an application over the phone with family members who may had no idea their loved one had been sexually abused as a child. Can you imagine the shock that has caused?

This is a serious breach of trust.

Also, what kind of message does the Department of Social Services send to victims when their calls are answered by Centrelink call centres? Did you know when you call the Redress Scheme you get answered by Centrelink? Have you ever had good dealings with a Centrelink call centre?

It’s not good enough.

Victims of sexual abuse should not be treated in this way.

We are starting proceedings in the Federal Court to force the Department to deal with private lawyers as the victim’s own legal representative. Victims deserve the best legal representation available and the Redress Scheme is refusing to allow this.

What has the National Redress Scheme achieved?

Since the 1st of July when the Scheme was launched, there have been 2,300 applications made. They told us they were expecting 60,000 people to apply. Where is everyone?

As of the 2nd January 2019, only 28 victims have been paid by the Scheme.