Great Expectations !

The Royal Commission into " Institutionalised Sex Abuse " is now under way, headed by Justice Peter McClellan.   It will have a staff of one hundred and twelve people. A budget of $ 22 million - and it is anticipated that it will hand down it's first report in June, 2014.

Unfortunately, it will not satisfy the expectations of many of the people who will look to it for justice.   This is not a court of law tasked with allocating monetary compensation and dispensing punishment to the guilty.  It is mainly " an enquiry " that will compile evidence of crimes that have been swept under the carpet for centuries.   The oppressed, who were disbelieved and virtually ignored will at last have the chance to tell their stories and gain release from the shame and hurt that has blighted so many lives.

For many this will be a mixed blessing.   Some may find relief in finally being able to bring into the open that which has been hidden, but to others public disclosure will be painful and this enquiry has the option of taking evidence in private.   The Commission has a term of three years, but judging by the numbers coming forward it is likely that this will be extended.   Such was the case where similar enquiries were conducted in other countries.

When this Royal Commission does end, it is likely that many expectations will be unfulfilled.   The Commission will have the option of handing matters disclosed to the police for further investigation, but prosecution will depend on whether a case that may satisfy a court still exists, and in most cases the perpetrators may be old and senile.  Awful decisions will be inflicted on police prosecutors.  Even more will be faced by judges where cases do go to court and a person is convicted.

Perhaps the salient objective of this enquiry is to bring relief to those who have suffered in silence by bringing this whole issue of the sexual abuse of children into the open - and deny the superiors of those that transgressed from claiming that it didn't happen - and to face the reality of their actions allowing it to continue.

We can not undo the past - but we can create a future where society does not choose to look the other way and protect the good name of churches and institutions when a person of authority takes sexual advantage of those under care.

The best hope is that this Royal Commission delivers a change of thinking that sweeps through not only the administration of churches and institutions, but all strata's of society that needs to act to stop the sexual abuse of children.    If it sheds light where darkness has prevailed - then it will have done it's job !