The ACT government needs to do more to support child victims of crime in the territory who are required to repeat their testimony in order to achieve a result in the judicial system.
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Children who have experienced trauma should not be put in a position where that trauma could be used against them, particularly by adults who have full knowledge of how to manipulate such a situation to their own benefit.
This is the case with the current model in the ACT. Children who have been seriously or sexually abused, and other vulnerable people, face multiple series of questioning on the same incident which can confuse children in particular. This can result in no charges being laid against the person who has allegedly committed the crime.
Surely it is in the best interests of both the child and the taxpayer, who is funding the resources behind the judicial process, that one thorough interview, led by an appropriately trained person, is recorded and used in such situations.
This is the model being proposed by former ACT children's commissioner Alasdair Roy, who researched the results as part of his Churchill Fellowship.
The model has been proven successful in Nordic countries - and while the ACT can't implement every successful measure being undertaken - it seems like this is a simple, thoughtful and relevant response.
Overseas, the interview takes place in a neutral, non-clinical, home-like environment. In Norway, the centre sees about 300 children and young people each year.
Since its introduction in 1998, the Barnahus, or children's house, has seen twice as many cases of suspected sexual abuse investigated, and the number of cases prosecuted has tripled.
It all rests on the quality of the evidence provided, which appears to be much greater than what is currently the case in the ACT.
While courts in the ACT do aim to deal with children in a sensitive way, such as keeping them out of the courtroom where possible, under the current system it is sometimes unavoidable to have them present evidence.
The government needs to take stock of the issues facing abused children in the territory and put greater measures in place to protect them when going through the judicial process.
According to the attorney-general the ACT is a "leading jurisdiction" in introducing protections in the court process. That might be the case but it shouldn't mean that improvements can't be made to help protect our most vulnerable citizens.
