Source: New Zealand Government
The Redress System for Abuse in Care Bill passed its first reading this afternoon, Lead Co-ordination Minister for the Crown Response, Erica Stanford says.
The Bill provides that the purpose of a State redress scheme is to:
- recognise a person’s experience of abuse in care, and
- offer a pathway as an alternative to litigation to provide for redress for abuse in care.
Redress includes a financial payment, an apology, access to care records, and counselling or other wellbeing services.
The Bill also provides for more meaningful apologies to be able to be made by state agencies as well as introduces a new framework for independent consideration of financial redress where a survivor has also committed specified serious sexual or violent offences and been sentenced to more than five years in prison.
“I acknowledge there will be strong and diverse views about the proposed additional scrutiny by an independent decision maker where a survivor has committed serious offences. This approach, based on the Australian model, does not automatically exclude any survivor from receiving financial redress. However, it does require that the independent decision maker satisfy themselves that making such a payment would not bring the scheme into disrepute. This recognises that there are a small number of survivors who were abused in care have also gone on to perpetuate harm to others.
“The Bill has now been referred to the Social Services and Community Select Committee for five months. I know the Committee will give the Bill the careful consideration that it deserves and I encourage survivors, their advocates, and all other interested parties to submit on the Bill.”
