The Royal Commission will hold a public hearing to inquire into the response of the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne to allegations of child sexual abuse. The public hearing will commence on a date to be confirmed during the period 23 November to 18 December 2015 in Melbourne at the County Court of Victoria.
The Melbourne hearing will be co-ordinated with the continuation of the hearing into the Catholic Church authorities in Ballarat and evidence from witnesses common to each hearing will be received.
Further evidence in the Ballarat hearing, including the response of the Christian Brothers, together with final submissions in relation to the Ballarat hearing will be heard in Ballarat in the first half of next year.
The scope and purpose of the public hearing in relation to the Archdiocese of Melbourne is to inquire into:
- The experience of survivors of child sexual abuse by Catholic clergy associated with the Holy Family Parish, Doveton, and Holy Family Primary School, Doveton.
- The response of relevant authorities within or associated with the Archdiocese of Melbourne to allegations of child sexual abuse against these Catholic clergy.
- Any related matters.
The date for leave to appear applications will be announced closer to the hearing.The public hearing will be streamed live to the public via webcast on the Royal Commission’s website at http://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/
