Attorney-General Tony Buti to confirm legislation to hold Catholic Church accountable for abuse by its priests

The WA Government will legislate to make it easier for victims of historic child sex abuse to pursue the Catholic Church for compensation. Attorney-General Tony Buti will on Thursday confirm that legislation is being developed to hold the Church more accountable for abuse committed by priests under its supervision. The move is in response to a shock High Court decision in November last year, which found the Church could not be held vicariously liable for child sex abuse by a priest under its supervision because he was not an employee of the diocese. It comes as Mr Buti also revealed that nearly 8000 West Australians have applied to the national redress scheme for child sexual abuse survivors and the State Government had paid over $888 million in redress payments. The Bird v DP decision alarmed victim-survivor advocates, who were concerned it would hamper their ability to access appropriate compensation. Mr Buti said he wanted to see nationally consistent reforms that would help hold abusers accountable. “I acknowledge the strength that survivors of child sexual abuse display when they choose to disclose their abuse to others,” he said. “To then take the step of commencing proceedings against the institutions in which their abusers worked also takes incredible courage and tenacity. “The Bird decision affects victim-survivors across all Australian jurisdictions. “I will therefore be sharing our work with Attorneys General across Australia at the upcoming standing council of Attorneys-General to advocate for nationally consistent reforms.” It is unclear what the timeframe is for WA legislation to be developed. Separately, Mr Buti told Parliament on Wednesday that more than 60,000 Australians nationally and nearly 8000 West Australians had applied to the national redress scheme since it began in 2018. Of the WA applications, he said, 5619 involved a State Government institution. The Bird v DP legal case involved historical sexual abuse of a young boy by a priest working in regional Victoria. The victim, known as DP, was five years old at the time of the abuse. Victoria’s Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal had previously found that the Ballarat diocese was liable for the actions of the abuser, former priest Bryan Coffey. Mr Coffey, who was convicted of various charges, including indecent assault, is dead.