McClellan is the Chair of Australia's Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

The Commission learned that child sex abuse has occurred in almost every type of institution where children lived or attended.

Furthermore, "it is not a case of a few rotten apples," he says.

"Society's major institutions have seriously failed.

"In many cases those failings have been exacerbated by a manifestly inadequate response to the abused person.

"The problems have been so widespread, and the nature of the abuse so heinous, that it is difficult to comprehend."

More than 15,000 survivors or their relatives have contacted the Royal Commission since it was created in 2012.

McClellan says each of the more than 8,000 personal stories told to Commissioners in private sessions had a profound impact on them and their staff.

It has been "a privilege for the Commissioners to sit with and listen to survivors," McClellan says.

"The survivors are remarkable people with a common concern to do what they can to ensure that other children are not abused.

"They deserve our nation's thanks.

"Alleged perpetrators were often allowed to have access to children even when religious leaders knew they posed a danger."

Rather than reporting the crimes when they came to light, alleged perpetrators were often transferred to other locations where they had further access to children.

Furthermore, McClellan says the Royal Commission received evidence that "at least in Sydney and Melbourne there was for many years an understanding that the police would protect members of the Church who may have offended".

The Royal Commission is due to have its last public sitting in Sydney next month.

It will then deliver its final report to Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove.

At the same time, it will be thanking the community for its support.

Francis Sullivan, the CEO of the Catholic Church's Truth, Justice and Healing Council, says the report is likely to comprise up to 17 volumes.

At least three of those volumes concern the Catholic Church.

It is not yet known when the report will be made public.

Usually this occurs only after tabling in Parliament.

It may not be released to the public until Australia's federal and state legislatures sit again in early 2018.

Source

• The Tablet
• The Times
• Image: The Australian

Justice Peter McClellan said some Australian institutions where children were abused either have no money or no longer exist.

He chairs the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

Justice McClellan said the commission would publish a paper in January, 2015, with proposals on compensation.

It will publish final proposals in mid-2015.

He said one of the elements in an effective response to victims "is a lump sum payment, which marks the abuse and recognises the failure of the institution to keep the person safe as a child".

He said because some institutions had ceased to exist and others had no money, some abuse survivors have no access to compensation.

Justice McClellan said this fell short of the commission's brief of ensuring justice for all victims.

The Catholic and Anglican churches in Australia have been pushing for a government-run scheme to which they would contribute.

Survivor groups such as Care Leavers Australia Network want an interim scheme immediately as some of its members are very old.

The Australian Lawyers Alliance has argued the government should not take charge of the scheme as some homes were government-run and there would be a vested interest to keep payments low.

The alliance wants an independent panel to run the scheme.

Justice McClellan said it was fundamentally important abuse survivors received a meaningful apology and had access to counselling or psychiatric care.

"The answer can only be found in a secure source of funds.

"By some means, funding must be found which ensures that professionals are available to keep people alive and otherwise provide them with the capacity to function effectively," he said.

Sources

• The West Australian
• Image: ABC

The head of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Justice Peter McClellan, told a victims' group he had written to the Vatican on the matter.

He sought copies of all documents relating to complaints about abuse involving priests in Australia.

The Vatican has provided two sets of documents to the royal commission, and said it may provide others where copies are not available in Australia.

But Justice McClellan wanted more information to find out how the church hierarchy in Australia, under the guidance or direction of the Vatican, responded to the allegations of abuse.

In a written response, the Vatican told the commission "that requests for all information regarding every case - which include requests for documents reflecting internal ‘deliberations' - are not appropriate".

It said the Holy See maintained the confidentiality of internal deliberations related to its judicial and administrative proceedings.

The reason was it "depends upon deliberative confidentiality to ensure the integrity and efficacy of its judicial and administrative processes".

Western Australian Liberal MP Steve Irons said he would ask the federal government to become involved in the matter.

Leonie Sheedy, founder and chief executive of CLAN, a support group for victims of child sexual abuse, said the actions of the Holy See showed the Catholic Church was treating the Australian public with contempt.

Last month, Archbishop Philip Wilson of Adelaide told the royal commission that the Vatican's Congregation for Clergy hindered bishops' efforts to deal with abusive priests in the 1990s.

Justice McClellan used his address to defend the continuing work of the commission against commentary that was "ill-informed" on its practices and impacts.

This followed comments by Catholic lawyer and Jesuit Fr Frank Brennan last week that the commission was paralysing agencies trying to deal with child sexual abuse.

Fr Brennan said that if the commission ran for another three and a half years, institutions such as the Catholic Church and state agencies would be left in limbo, unable to implement change until the commission reported.

The royal commission has asked the Australian government that it be able to extend its work until the end of the 2017.

Sources

• Sydney Morning Herald
• The Guardian
• ABC
• Image: Perth Now

Jannette Dines, who had been in the role since 2012, will depart on June 6, reported the ABC.

The circumstances surrounding her departure remain unclear.

But the ABC understands Ms Dines will be returning to a previous role.

She used to be the director-general of Emergency Management Australia.

The royal commission began hearing evidence from victims of child sexual abuse early last year.

It has heard from more than 1500 witnesses, with more than 150 cases of abuse being referred to police for investigation.

The royal commission is led by Justice Peter McClellan.

Justice McClellan said Ms Dines "has successfully created the structure and facilities that have enabled the royal commission to achieve a large amount in a short time".

In April, Justice McClellan said that more than 40 people a week were approaching the commission to give evidence and that the commission did not have the resources to listen to all of them.

Dr Cathy Kezelman from Adults Surviving Child Abuse said it would be nice if the Australian attorney-general could give an assurance that the royal commission's work would be able to continue.

But Francis Sullivan from the Catholic Church's Truth, Justice and Healing Council says the commission is as strong as ever.

"I've very confident the royal commission has a future for as long as it needs it," he said.

News of Ms Dines's resignation came as the federal opposition was putting pressure on the Australian government for allegedly diverting funds from the royal commission into another inquiry.

The ABC reported accusations that millions of dollars was diverting into a royal commission investigating deaths in a home insulation scheme set up by the previous Labor government.

The current government rejected the accusations.

Calls were made for the Australian government to show that it fully supports the sex abuse royal commission.

A spokesman for Attorney General George Brandis said: "The royal commission will have sufficient funding to complete its inquiry."

He added: "No allocation of funds has been made which would have the effect of limiting resources available to the royal commission into child sex abuse."

Sources

• ABC (funding)
• ABC (resignation)
• Image: Perth Now