VICTORIA Police has been severely
embarrassed by documents that show for 17 years it supported and had
intimate knowledge of the Catholic Church in Melbourne's
complaints-based response to the child sex abuse scandal. The revelations - in hundreds of pages of documents released yesterday - come after the force savaged the Melbourne Response to the Victorian parliamentary inquiry into the scandal.
The documents show that police released a press release in 1996 praising the response when it was set up and that police failed to deliver in 2011 on a promised protocol to ensure improvements to the reporting system.
They also show that the church and the police were close to releasing a press release in late 2010 in which police would have openly praised the so-called Melbourne Response for the way it dealt with victims.
And, in legal note form, they show how, in 2010, former deputy commissioner Ken Jones had expressed contentment with the Melbourne Response process.
Sir Ken initially was to be quoted as saying that the response was working well but police later requested his name be removed. This was debated around the time of his falling out with then police chief commissioner Simon Overland.
The press release, drawn up by the church and based on comments made by Sir Ken at a meeting on November 12, 2010, was blocked from distribution after Mr Overland ended protocols between the force and external groups such as the church and the Australian Football League.
The documents tabled yesterday show the relationship between police and the church appeared to sour when former Office of Police Integrity deputy director Graham Ashton started liaising with the church after Sir Ken quit in controversy in 2011.
The documents were submitted to the inquiry by the church in response to scathing evidence from police and Mr Ashton that has been widely debunked by the Melbourne Response's independent commissioner, Peter O'Callaghan QC. Anyone providing false or misleading evidence to the inquiry is at risk of contempt.
The documents show the force was aware of how the church was conducting itself and how it operated as far back as 1996. There was a stream of cordial correspondence and meetings, including attempts by the church to improve its response to the scandal.
The Australian revealed last week that Mr O'Callaghan accused Mr Ashton and the force of "blatant untruths", a "travesty" of justice, "utterly false" claims and "malicious nonsense" in evidence submitted to the Victorian inquiry.
Mr Ashton and the force did not respond to questions sent last week by The Australian. A spokesman said: "Victoria Police has made its submission. It will be up to the inquiry to make its determinations. As the inquiry is ongoing, we will not comment further."
The release of the correspondence comes as the sex abuse inquiry played down the significance of the evidence submitted by police.
A spokeswoman for the inquiry said yesterday the police submission alone would be insufficient to determine whether an adverse finding could be made against the Catholic Church.
The committee also has warned it can recall any witnesses to give further evidence or to clarify what they have said.