New South Wales has become the second state to finally give child sex abuse survivors the power to sue institutions such as churches for compensation.
Under sweeping changes to NSW's civil litigation laws, survivors of child sexual abuse will now be able to sue organisations, including churches.
The state's attorney general, Mark Speakman, announced on Sunday the changes would remove legal barriers that have stopped victims from seeking justice, following the recommendations from the Royal Commission into institutional child sexual abuse.
"The Royal Commission found many survivors felt let down by the current civil litigation system which made it difficult for them to seek damages and hold institutions to account," Speakman said.
"These reforms will provide access to new avenues to allow survivors to pursue compensation so they can focus on recovering and moving forward with their lives.”
Federal Attorney-General Christian Porter has expressed support for changes to the law that would force priests to report suspicions of child sex abuse arising from the confessional.
The changes, which would fall to state and territory governments, are among the most contentious of the recommendations from the royal commission into child sexual abuse.
Speaking on the ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday, Mr Porter said the Council of Attorneys-General – which includes himself and state and territory counterparts – was working on harmonised laws.
“My personal instincts are protective and that, ultimately, the need to protect people from sexual abuse, but particularly children, is something that should take some precedence,” he said.
Last week the ACT became the first jurisdiction to introduce laws forcing priests to break the seal of confession in cases where child abuse is disclosed.
