Australian parliamentary committee calls for extension of compensation scheme — ABC News Australia
A cross-party parliamentary committee in Australia has recommended extending the National Redress Scheme for people who survived institutional child sexual abuse. The scheme should remain in operation until all submitted applications have been considered, ABC News reports.
The scheme is currently scheduled to stop accepting new applications on June 30, 2027, and to cease operations on June 30, 2028. The committee, which includes members of the Labor Party, the opposition and the Greens, also proposed moving the application deadline to December 31, 2027.
Application backlog could remain until 2029
According to ABC News calculations, at the current processing rate of nearly 1,000 applications per month, the scheme will not be able to process all applications already under consideration before 2029. The Department of Social Services expects more than 1,500 new applications to arrive each month before the current deadline.
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The scheme provides psychological support, financial compensation, as well as formal recognition or an apology for survivors. The report states that extending the application period will improve access to support for priority groups, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with disabilities, people in aged-care facilities and prisoners.
Government awaits results of review
The chair of the inquiry, Labor MP Jodie Belyea, said that extending the scheme is urgent. At the same time, the federal government has not yet said whether it will support an extension of its operation. A spokesperson for Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said the government had accelerated the processing of applications and would await the findings of the scheme's legislated eight-year review. Its report is due to be published in November.
Knowmore legal service chief executive Jackie Mead said that the choice made in parliament would determine whether survivors would continue to have access to redress.
