Organisations in Victoria not signed up to the National Redress Scheme could have their funding cut, the state government has warned.
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The Attorney-General Jill Hennessy said: "My expectation is that Victorian institutions who have not yet signed up to the scheme do so immediately - refusing to sign up is just not acceptable."
It is deeply disappointing that institutions which have the capacity to join the scheme and have had ample time since being notified of their potential redress liability have not done so.
- Attorney-General Jill Hennessy
The scheme was introduced to provide compensation for victims of institutional child sexual abuse. All institutions where child sexual abuse has taken place are supposed to join.
The deadline to sign up is on June 30 this year but in a press release sent on Sunday, the Victorian government said there were 49 non-government organisations in Victoria that had not done so.
Around half the organisations that have not signed up receive state funding, which could be cut if they do not join.
There has been repeated controversy over the management of the scheme and the time taken for survivors to have their applications processed - as well as delays in institutions signing up.
Under the scheme, survivors of institutional child sexual abuse can seek redress of up to $150,000, as well as counselling services and "a direct personal response" from the institutions involved.
Several Ballarat organisations have already signed up to the scheme. These include Child And Family Services, the Catholic Diocese of Ballarat, Ballarat Grammar School and the Anglican diocese of Ballarat.
Several religious orders such as the Marist Brothers, which used to oversee St Patrick's College, have also signed up.
A federal parliamentary committee is also considering calls made earlier this month to allow partial advance payments to be given if institutions had not yet signed up. It was particularly geared towards older survivors at risk of dying before receiving redress.
The committee was due to sit in Ballarat last month but instead heard from survivors and witnesses via teleconference in Canberra due to the COVID-19 crisis.
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