I am very pleased the Hodgman Liberal Government has delivered on its commitment to make it easier for victims of child abuse to seek damages.
A Bill to retrospectively remove time limitations to civil claims for damages for survivors of child sexual and physical abuse has today passed both Houses of Parliament, in line with recommendations made by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
Survivors of sexual abuse often find it incredibly difficult to report the crimes perpetrated against them to authorities, which impacts on when crimes are reported and civil litigation is taken.
This Bill recognises this and better supports the victims of these heinous crimes by removing unnecessary roadblocks that victims face when seeking justice.
The Bill also removes the need for a plaintiff who may have recently been diagnosed with a serious illness- including dust related diseases- from having to overcome the additional hurdle of seeking leave from the court to actually bring an action, known as the “long-stop” period.