SIGN up or else, that is the ultimatum to institutions named in the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse who have not yet signed up to the National Redress Scheme.
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Institutions have until June 30 to sign up the scheme or face "naming and shaming" and according to Ballarat MP Catherine King, should lose any charitable status and access to government funding.
This week, Jehovah's Witnesses became the latest religious organisation to declare it will not sign up to the scheme which aims to hold institutions to account for past abuses.
READ MORE: Survivors need a clearer path
The scheme also aims to recognise the suffering of those that endured systematic abuse and help those people gain access to counselling services, offer a direct personal response and a redress payment. The scheme started on July 1, 2018 and will run for 10 years.
More than 10 per cent of the up to 60,000 people who might be eligible for redress have so far not seen action, due to organisations named in the Royal Commission that have failed to sign up to the scheme.
Ballarat MP Catherine King said while she did not know of any specific Ballarat-based organisations who have not yet joined, she was prepared to call out those that hadn't.
"Everybody should sign up for the redress scheme who is libel for paying that scheme," Ms King said. "If they don't I think they should be named and shamed because this scheme came out of a Royal Commission.
"The fact that we still today have survivors who have not been able to access redress, and we've had survivors who have passed away without accessing redressing is absolutely appalling.
"I hope within the next (week) they reflect upon their position and they sign up."
Ms King said organisations that don't sign up should forfeit future handouts.
"I've always said that many of those organisations should not be receiving charitable status and they shouldn't be receiving government grants to undertake programs if they can't pay redress," she said.
"Frankly they should not be able to operate government programs, that's my view and I believe it to be the view of a number of my colleagues."
The National Redress Scheme has been created in response to recommendation by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The Royal Commission listened to thousands of people about the abuse they experienced as children.
The abuse happened in orphanages, Children's Homes, schools, churches and other religious organisations, sports clubs, hospitals, foster care and other institutions.
In a statement to media this week Jehovah's Witnesses said it "does not have the institutional settings that the voluntary National Redress Scheme is designed to cover. Therefore, the Ministry for Families and Social Services has been advised that Jehovah's Witnesses will not join the Scheme. Jehovah's Witnesses understand that, to date, there have been less than 10 applicants to the Redress Scheme who have referred to the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. Jehovah's Witnesses have responded and will continue to respond directly to individual claims for redress in a caring, fair, and principled manner, taking into consideration the unique circumstances of each claim."
Chair of the Joint Select Committee on Implementation of the National Redress Scheme Senator Den Smith said time is now the enemy of many survivors.
"Every effort must now be placed on meeting the expectations set by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and then by the official apology, so that more timely justice can be delivered for survivors and their families," he said.
To date the scheme has received 6716 applications. It has so far made 2093 decision, of which 1751 have resulted in payments of $136.8 million at an average of $81.289.Ms King said it was up to organisations to develop mechanisms to assist abuse victims.
"It's not as though they haven't had a long time, this has been a very long process, the Royal Commission, the interim report which was where the redress scheme was mentioned, we're talking years," she said.
"Many of these organisaitons have had years to make a decision and now they are out of excuses."
Affected by this story? There is help available.
You can phone the Ballarat Centre Against Sexual Assault, in Sebastopol, on 5320 3933, or free-call the crisis care line 24 hours on 1800 806 292. Or phone Lifeline on 13 11 14, the Blue Knot Foundation on 1300 657 380, or Relationships Australia on 1300 364 277.
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