Melbourne Response redress cap doubled to $150,000

The Archdiocese of Melbourne has announced that it will double the compensation cap available to survivors of child sexual abuse seeking redress through the Melbourne Response to $150,000.

The Melbourne Response is a compensation and support scheme established in 1996 to assist people who have been abused sexually, physically, or emotionally within the Archdiocese of Melbourne.

Announcing the decision on Friday, the Archbishop of Melbourne, Denis Hart, said: "The Archdiocese’s decision was made following a review of the Melbourne Response by retired Federal Court judge Donnell Ryan QC, the on-going work of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, and the announcement this month by the Commonwealth government of its intent to introduce a redress scheme, commencing in 2018, for the survivors of institutional child sexual abuse."

Archbishop Hart said that he “regrets that this announcement has taken longer than he had hoped. This has occurred because of hearings of the Royal Commission in which the Archdiocese was involved and the extended time taken by the Commonwealth government to announce its position on a Commonwealth redress scheme.

"Our objective has been to seek to align any change in compensation under the Melbourne Response to the decisions by government on compensation for survivors to ensure survivors have equal access and treatment.”

Archbishop Hart said that “the Melbourne Archdiocese is committed to a fair system of redress. We have decided it is right to both increase the compensation cap for survivors of abuse and re-visit cases for survivors of child sexual abuse if these survivors would have received a higher offer had the new arrangements been in force at the time their case was heard.”

CEO of the Truth Justice and Healing Council, Francis Sullivan, said the announcement is good news for abuse survivors and a clear indication the Archdiocese is working hard to provide fair redress and continuing care for abuse survivors.

“This has been a difficult challenge for the Archdiocese. Archbishop Denis Hart has shown a willingness to listen and the leadership to make the appropriate changes.

“Across the Catholic Church in Australia we are now seeing substantial changes in the way dioceses and religious orders respond to abuse survivors,” Mr Sullivan said.