What a pile of bollocks. putting a cap and mechanism for determining damages speeds the process up and avoids a long and expensive court case for every victim which may well end up costing them more than they win.

Shadow Minister,

Is there something in particular that you regard as a "load of bollocks"? Or is it just anything you don't agree with?

Agree with most of what you say Big Nana. On the condition that false memory and accuracy is properly tested?

The first, by clinical psychologists utilising deep hypnosis? And on the clear understanding, there are only two groups who can't be hypnotised!

Very small children, because their attention span is too short and the criminally insane?

Hypnosis may require several sessions to establish both rapport and trust? Both of which are essential!

Truth telling is easier to validate, with covertly deployed cameras the are linked to C.A.F.R And thermal imaging.

The first sees those tiny tell tale facial movements that indicate terminological inexactitude, the second the parts of the cerebral cortex that always, always light up when the subject is bearing false witness!

Regardless if a pathological liar and or routinely able to beat a polygraph test. With the evidence properly tested in private and validated by a means far more reliable than traditional, witness badgering by belligerent barristers allowed to stand and included as validated witness input!

Even where names are suppressed to protect the innocent! Who are never ever assisted by further or repeated stigmatisation!

And then let the chips fall where they may, with the innocent compensated as well as they can be?

Which may be just having their witness statements believed and the perpetrators sent for appropriate treatment where possible? Or placed in restricted detention where not!?

Those tiny, tiny percentage, who lie utterly and ultra convincingly under oath? No better than the perpetrators, given the grave miscarriage of justice outcomes that may be achieved?

Like death row for alleged black rapists, charged it would seem, with someone else's crime? DNA evidence can sometimes convict a near relative/sibling?
Alan B.

I have to admit that I am completely astounded by not only the lack of understanding, but the lack of compassion from people commenting on this article.

Firstly, the length of this article is completely irrelevant and takes away from the serious issue that is being discussed.

Secondly, to the commenter who claims they would prefer to "be f&*d" every day as a child than to have served their country in ANY war, shame on you! Not only do you show a complete lack of understanding and compassion for the innocent CHILDREN! who have been violated in ways I am sure you can never imagine, but you have also taken away from the countless men and women who have chosen to serve their country in order to protect the ignorance of people such as yourself.

I absolutely, 100% agree with the sentiments of this article and call "shame on you" to the Australian Government. These CHILDREN, and yes I use capitols again because some seem to be forgetting that these are CHILDREN we are talking about, were in the care of organizations the government represents, whether it be through funding or policy support. That is why the Government are involved and that is exactly why the government SHOULD be compensating these victims, regardless of whether they grew up to be perpetrators or not. They were children when they were violated in the most inexplicable ways. It was this that has led to the mistakes they have made as adults. While I am not condoning ANYONE who hurts children, I do believe that everyone has the right to justice. Everyone has the right to have their pain and suffering acknowledged and until you have experienced this personally, you do not have the right to judge, you do not have the right to decide who is deserving and who is not and you know what? Even when you have experienced trauma in this way, it still doesn't give anyone the right to judge as everyone's experience is different.

I have no doubt that many children were sexually abused in these institutions. However, I suspect that many of them were abused by other children. While I think most us understand the reasons this occurred, I only wish the silence about this would end.

I also find the obsession with churches unfair. If we put 100 similar kids together, in the same building, with the same pre-existing problems and the same level of staffing and supervision, the same problems would occur. This applies regardless of who was in charge of the institutions. Without the churches, those kids would have had no one.

Yes benk, lord of the flies and all that! Getting it out in the open a very useful first step to preventing more of the same, for the same length of time immemorial!
Alan B