Sex inquiry staff too late

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THE decision to appoint additional staff to the Baillieu government's inquiry into sexual abuse within institutions such as the Catholic Church has been welcomed by a leading victims' group.

But Broken Rites said time to complete the inquiry is running out and that staff appointments should have been made earlier.

The Baillieu government yesterday revealed a senior legal adviser, a senior former policeman and a community engagement officer would be among the new positions.

In total, six new staff plus an unspecified number of counsellors will be hired. The government said the appointments to the roles were imminent but had not been finalised.
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The cross-party parliamentary inquiry into non-government organisations was announced in April but it has just nine months to tend its final report to Parliament.

Broken Rites spokeswoman Chris MacIsaac said it was critical that a substantial inquiry was conducted to ensure abuse, cover-ups and negligence were exposed. She said she hoped the inquiry made recommendations that helped deliver justice.

But, she said, many victims needed time to consider whether to come forward and that the short amount of time they had to make this decision may compromise that.

She added that while the new staff appointments would lend more expertise to the inquiry it would have given victims more confidence if they had have been made earlier. ''[The delays in the inquiry] are very concerning … [but] we hope that they unravel what has gone on,'' she said. A spokesman for Attorney-General Robert Clark said the cost of the additional staff would not be known until the appointments were made.