The legal framework for the 10-year initiative, which starts on July 1, garnered the approval of members in both houses of federal parliament this week.

Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove yesterday assented to the two relevant bills – the final step in the process of creating federal law in Australia.

The National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse Bill 2018 outlines three parts to redress for survivors of institutional child sexual abuse: a payment of up to $150,000; access to counselling and psychological services, or up to $5000 for such services; and a ‘direct personal response’ from the institutions responsible for the abuse.

A person eligible for redress can opt for one, two, or all three aspects of redress.

“We are glad the redress is in motion,” Loddon Campaspe Centre Against Sexual Assault chief executive Kate Wright said.

She believed a redress unit had been created, but was keen to learn more about how the scheme would work.

It is not yet known to what extent organisations like Loddon Campaspe CASA will be involved in assisting survivors.

(DOCUMENT: National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse Bill 2018, as passed by both houses of parliament)

The National Redress Scheme has attracted criticism from advocacy groups representing survivors of institutional child sexual abuse.

Beyond Abuse spokesperson Steve Fisher said the scheme was ‘a farce’ and the legislation’s passage through the senate was ‘a disgrace’.

In an open letter to senators, the advocacy group raised concerns with aspects of the bill including specific mechanisms to determine the value of monetary compensation.

Beyond Abuse wrote that counselling available to survivors via the scheme was inadequate.

“The open-ended, long-term counselling costs that were initially proposed have been watered down to a sum of $5000.00 per survivor,” the letter stated. 

“Survivors often require long-term support over a lifetime and this figure will, for a vast majority, be totally inadequate for their long term needs.

“If this legislation is passed in its current form there is the potential to further traumatise survivors.”

The letter was penned and emailed to senators on the same day two National Redress Scheme bills were introduced in the senate.

Both bills passed the senate the following day, after hours of discussion and debate.

“It’s really, really disappointing,” Mr Fisher told the Bendigo Advertiser.

He said the only parties to ‘win out’ as a result of the scheme were the churches, as survivors who sought abuse would be precluded from pursuing civil legal proceedings against the same institution or official. 

The Anglican Church, Catholic Church, Salvation Army, Scouts Australia, YMCA and the Uniting Church have committed to the National Redress Scheme.

Beyond Abuse was initially supportive of the concept of a redress scheme.