Army silent on abuse payout - The Timaru Herald

Friday, 13 July 2007

The Salvation Army is refusing to disclose how much it paid to those abused by staff at its Temuka children's home in the 1970s, a move which has a privacy expert asking what the church has to hide. Not only is the church refusing to disclose how much it has paid out, but it is also refusing to comment on how many payouts have been made.

Church spokesman Major Ross Gower said all those who had approached it seeking compensation had now been paid out. He would not comment on the extent of the compensation.

The church had given an undertaking that it would not comment on individual compensation settlements made to those who had lived at the Bramwell Booth home.

Earlier this month Major Gower confirmed all eight complainants in last year's court case involving former home manager John Gainsford had received compensation. Gainford was sentenced to 10 years in prison on rape and indecency charges.
Some had received compensation payouts prior to the court case.
It was known the church had also made payments to others who had lived at the home when officers other than Gainsford were managing the home in the 1970s.

Refusing to disclose the number who had received compensation, or the cost to the church, was a misuse of the privacy argument, said privacy law expert Professor Paul Roth of Otago University.

"It is a matter of applying the concept (of privacy) where there is no application at all.
"The information cannot be linked to any one individual. It is information of a general sort. There are no names being mentioned."
He described the whole privacy argument being used by the church as incorrect and not applicable.

"I have long thought when people claim privacy (in such situations) it is just a lot of hogwash.

"All one can do is to draw the obvious conclusion that the Salvation Army is paying nothing; what else can one conclude? They must have something to hide if they are not disclosing this information.
"Either they are not paying any money or they are paying a joke amount of money."

Professor Roth said it was not uncommon to see such a misuse of the privacy argument.

The Catholic Church has been more forthcoming regarding sexual abuse allegations made against its leaders.
In 2002 Catholic Communications director Lyndsay Freer revealed that over the past decade 38 claims of abuse had been substantiated, dating back to the 1950s, against priests, brothers, and lay people.
Eighteen months ago it confirmed it had paid out nearly $40,000 compensation to three women over historic sexual allegations against disgraced priest Jim Consedine.

Zie rapportage parlementair onderzoek 2004: Forgotten Australians.