STATEMENTS ON SIGNIFICANT MATTERS
Ms ROWLAND (Greenway—Attorney-General) (09:03): 22 October will mark eight years since the National Apology to Victims and Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse was delivered in this parliament. The national apology followed the immense courage of the thousands of victims and survivors who came forward to share their stories with the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
Their testimony exposed the devastating consequences of abuse. For many, speaking about their experiences meant revisiting profound trauma and confronting institutions that had failed them. Their willingness to come forward helped ensure that experiences too often hidden or dismissed could no longer be ignored.
On this anniversary, we honour every victim and survivor who spoke their truth, as well as those who couldn't, and we acknowledge the families, advocates and communities who have stood beside them. The national apology was an important moment in our national history. It acknowledged a truth that should never have needed to be established: children suffered abuse in institutions entrusted with their care, and, too often, those responsible for protecting them failed to act.
It was an acknowledgement of the harm inflicted on children who should have been safe and of the profound and lasting consequences for those who experienced abuse. It was also an acknowledgement that victims and survivors deserve to be heard, believed and treated with dignity and that the responsibility for confronting these failures could not rest with them alone.
An apology, however, cannot undo what happened. It cannot return the childhoods that were taken or remove the challenges that many survivors continue to face. What it can do is recognise the truth and establish a foundation for meaningful change.
That change must be demonstrated through action. As a government, it is our responsibility to ensure that support is available when it is needed, that people are treated with compassion and respect and that no survivor is made to feel they must navigate the consequences of abuse alone. On behalf of all Australians today, I repeat the words first spoken to victims and survivors here in 2018.
We hear you. We believe you. Australia believes you.
May these words continue to echo with meaning and with an unwavering commitment, today and always. Protecting children from sexual abuse is a responsibility shared across our society. It requires governments, institutions, families and communities to take concerns seriously and create environments where children are safe to speak up and know they will be heard.
It also requires us to recognise that prevention and support must go hand in hand. We must do everything we can to prevent abuse from occurring, while ensuring that those who have experienced it can access the support they need. While we have made encouraging progress, we are tragically reminded that child sexual abuse remains a problem in institutions, with multiple instances of childcare employees abusing children in their care.
This must end. Our government is committed to doing everything we can to stamp out this abhorrent behaviour and create safer spaces for our young people. On 27 October, the government will mark the fifth anniversary of the launch of the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse, a comprehensive 10-year framework designed to respond to the recommendations of the royal commission.
Since its inception, the Australian government has implemented ambitious world-leading measures to prevent and respond to all forms of child sexual abuse. Under this government, we have delivered two phases of One Talk at a Time, supporting all Australians to understand our collective responsibility to protect children and young people and, in the spirit of the royal commission, to keep child sexual abuse out of the shadows.
These efforts recognise that prevention is not the responsibility of a single person or institution. It requires a community-wide commitment to understanding the risks and taking action when something is wrong. The government is also continuing to work closely with state and territory ministers through the Standing Council of Attorneys-General to deliver ambitious reforms to working-with-children checks.
We have made significant progress with 'banned in one, banned in all' legislation now in place in every state and territory in Australia. This important change will deliver safer environments for our young people, ensuring that nefarious individuals who pose a risk to children cannot evade appropriate restrictions simply by moving between jurisdictions. But we know that strong safeguards must be accompanied by a culture of responsibility, where concerns are acted upon and the safety and wellbeing of children are placed at the centre of every decision.
We remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring that all victims and survivors are supported and empowered. This year we announced the delivery of a new national information and referral service for victims and survivors of child sexual abuse. The service will provide free information, guidance and referrals to victims and survivors, their families, carers and the professionals who work alongside them.
It will provide critical information to help people navigate the service system and, importantly, to know that they are not alone. For someone seeking support, understanding where to turn and what assistance is available can be a significant challenge. A clearer pathway to information and services can help people make informed decisions and find support that meets their needs.
Importantly, the service has been shaped by the voices of children, young people and adult survivors of child sexual abuse and will continue to be guided by lived experience through its operation. That commitment to listening matters. The people who have experienced abuse bring an understanding that must inform the systems designed to support them.
There is still much to be done. Child sexual abuse, as I said, is a whole-of-society issue that requires all governments and the wider community to work together. It has been truly humbling to hear from victims and survivors, their advocates and experts from across Australia as this government continues work on the development of the second action plan under the national strategy.
The second action plan will build on the substantial reforms already under way while identifying new actions to address emerging challenges, strengthen prevention efforts and improve responses to abuse. This work must remain grounded in the experiences of victims and survivors and informed by evidence about what works. We must be prepared to examine where our systems are falling short and respond to changing risks to protect children and support those who have experienced abuse.
Eight years on from the national apology, our responsibility remains clear. We owe it to every victim and survivor to remember what happened, to acknowledge the failures that allowed it to happen and to ensure that the lessons of the royal commission continue to guide our actions. We owe it to children today and to generations of children yet to come to build institutions and communities where their safety is never compromised and where their concerns are taken seriously.
We owe it to survivors to ensure that the promises made in this parliament are reflected in the support they receive and the protections that we put in place. As we mark this day of significance, we recommit ourselves to ensuring the safety of all Australian children and to continuing to improve support for victims and survivors on their healing journeys. This parliament has heard you, and every day we will continue to remind you that you are not alone.