Victoria State Government apologises to sexually abused students — EducationHQ

Premier Jacinta Allan and Education Minister Ben Carroll on Wednesday announced the state government’s response to the final report of a commission of inquiry into the past sexual abuse of students at Beaumaris Primary School in Melbourne’s southeast.

All nine recommendations were accepted, including a national apology from the government in Parliament and a public memorial service for the Beaumaris victims.

The apology is expected to take place in 2026, after a truth-telling process has heard the experiences of victims of sexual abuse in all public schools before 2000.

“We admit very clearly and unequivocally: We have failed,” Allan told reporters.

“We failed to keep these children safe. We failed to listen to them when they expressed their opinions. We failed to take action to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”

Allan also said it was a moral failure.

“What else could it be – if the reputation of the education system was given higher priority than the safety of its children.”

The commission of inquiry was convened in June 2023 by then Prime Minister Daniel Andrews to determine the extent of sexual abuse in Beaumaris from the 1960s to the 1990s.

It was later expanded to 23 more schools.

The inquiry’s final report was published in March and said the Department for Education had “failed miserably to protect children from the risk” of sexual abuse because it had no policies in place to deal with allegations or convictions of such abuse.

The department was informed of the conviction and sentencing of teacher David MacGregor, who was also found guilty of misconduct in an internal investigation in the 1980s.

However, he was allowed to continue working as an employee, was transferred to administration and was only banned from teaching for three years.

The investigation found that the department had still not investigated allegations of sexual abuse in Beaumaris or the wider system.

In response, the government has committed to reviewing how historical cases of child sexual abuse were handled and responded to across the public school system prior to 2000.

The public report will be published in 2026.

In addition, a reparation program and a special website and telephone service for victims of child sexual abuse in public schools will be established.

Allan said the impact on many victims was lasting.

The ripple effects of abuse, she said, affect people’s health, mental health, life course and relationships with loved ones. It affects their beliefs in themselves and the world around them.

“Despite everything, they showed incredible courage. A determination to protect others they could not themselves. I want to thank the men and women who made this day possible,” said Allan.

Carroll said $48.3 million would be allocated to implement the recommendations.

“Victims and survivors carry the grief and trauma they experienced at school with them for more than five decades,” he said.

“We ensure that the voices and experiences of all victims of abuse in public schools are heard and reflected in the public record.”

Vicki Ward, Minister for Domestic Violence Prevention, said it was crucial to ensure that victims’ lived experiences were at the heart of all interventions.

“The pilot program for adult victims of institutional child sexual abuse will provide tailored support to help them overcome the particular obstacles we know they face,” Ward said.

The government’s full response to the inquiry can be found here.

(with AAP)