The abuse royal commission has recommended the Australian government set up a national strategy to prevent child sexual abuse.
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In its final report, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has called for a systematic overhaul of the culture, structure and governance practices which allowed paedophiles to flourish.
"There is no simple explanation for why child sexual abuse has occurred in a multitude of institutions," the final report says.
"However, we have identified a number of ways in which institutions may, inadvertently or otherwise, enable or create opportunities for abuse."
After a five-year inquiry which uncovered the horrific extent of institutional child sexual abuse, the inquiry found many institutions had failed children over many decades while the child protection, criminal and civil justice systems let them down.
Two versions of the final report were handed to Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove on Friday morning, one of which has been redacted for publication, and an unredacted version royal commission chair Justice Peter McClellan recommended was published once all criminal proceedings into alleged perpetrators have been completed.
It's been described as a national tragedy, with tens of thousands of victims in more 4000 individual institutions.
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More than 15,000 survivors or their relatives have contacted the commission.
The true number of victims will likely never be known, with the commission estimating as many as 60 per cent will never disclose their abuse.
After 8000 private sessions, 1200 witnesses and 444 days of public hearings, the inquiry has made more than 2500 referrals to authorities including police.
Prior to the handing down of Friday's report, the royal commission had already called for significant reforms in areas such as the criminal and civil systems as well as measures to make institutions safer for children.
It found some leaders, believed their primary responsibility was to protect the institution's reputation and perpetrators ahead of the welfare of children.
The commission has also made recommendations on how a national redress scheme for abuse survivors should work, with commission modelling estimated 60,000 survivors would be eligible to make a compensation claim under a national redress scheme.
Justice McClellan has warned the sexual abuse of children is not just a problem from the past, with children continuing to be abused in institutions today.
"The sexual abuse of any child is intolerable in a civilised society," he said at the final sitting of the hearing on Thursday.
"It is the responsibility of our entire community to acknowledge that children are being abused.
"We must each resolve that we should do what we can to protect them."
If you are troubled by this report or experiencing a personal crisis, you can call Lifeline 131 114 or beyondblue 1300 224 636 or visit lifeline.org.au or beyondblue.org.au