A new $22.5 million centre for the prevention of child abuse will be established by the end of 2021, with the federal government committing to funding its work for at least five years.
In a joint statement with families and social services minister Anne Ruston, the prime minister said the new centre would serve as an ‘online central point of information’, help build the capability of the sector supporting victim-survivors, and ensure that the wrongs of the past were never repeated.
“The National Centre will shine a national lens on preventing child sexual abuse, improve outcomes for survivors, and increase awareness and understanding of the impacts of abuse,” Scott Morrison said on Thursday.
The Blue Knot Foundation, along with key consortium partners the Australian Childhood Foundation and The Healing Foundation, would be responsible for setting up the centre.
Morrison Government announces that the Blue Knot Foundation, along with its key consortium partners the Australian Childhood Foundation and The Healing Foundation, would establish and deliver the National Centre for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse.https://t.co/HbkDU2k20U
— Blue Knot Foundation (@BlueKnotOrg) October 21, 2021
Ruston said the NGOs brought a wealth of experience working on campaigns to raise awareness and reduce the stigma related to child sexual abuse.
“The Blue Knot Foundation will draw on the expertise of businesses, the sector, and the invaluable knowledge of victims and survivors to inform improved primary prevention, secondary support and tertiary intervention,” Ruston said.
The government’s support for the new centre was in response to a recommendation from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse to do so.
The PM made the funding announcement a day ahead of the third anniversary of a national apology to victim survivors of institutional child sexual abuse. He said Friday marked a day to commemorate the childhoods that were damaged by these crimes and review the government’s commitment and responsibility to protecting Australia’s children.
“We must continue to make sure that victims and survivors remain at the forefront of our minds and deep in our hearts, while ensuring the words we speak spur action,” Morrison said.
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Funding for child sex abuse prevention plan announced years after recommendation
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