Catholic priests who fail to report child abuse they learn of under the seal of confession would be jailed for up to three years under a re-elected Andrews state Labor government.
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Labor promised on Sunday to amend the Children, Youth and Families Act to make it mandatory to report to child protection authorities information about child abuse or harm disclosed during confession.
There would also be amendments to the Crimes Act ensuring that information disclosed in the context of a religious confession is not exempt.
The move by Labor means jail for priests who cover up abuse is now bipartisan policy in Victoria after the Coalition announced in August that it would pursue similar changes if it won office.
Minister for Families and Children Jenny Mikakos said on Sunday that the promised reforms were recommended by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, along with expanding the number of professions deemed as “mandatory reporters”.
At present the law requires teachers, school principals, doctors, nurses, midwives and police officers to report their suspicions to the authorities if they believe a child is being physically or sexually abused.
Youth justice staff, psychologists and out-of-home-care workers will also be mandatory reporters from March 2019, regardless of the outcome of November’s state election, with school counsellors to join them the following year.
The government has pledged to provide training to workers affected by the changes to make them aware of their obligations.
Priests and others in religious ministry are exempt from mandatory reporting laws, but in an announcement timed to coincide with Monday’s national apology to sexual abuse survivors, Ms Mikakos said Labor would sweep those exemptions away if it wins next month.
Tasmania, South Australia and the ACT are all moving to remove the confessional as an exemption for protecting paedophiles, despite the strenuous objections of senior Catholic figures.
Ms Mikakos said Labor was determined to protect Victorian children from abuse.
“The systemic and horrific abuse revealed by the royal commission must never be allowed to happen again,” the minister said.
“We are doing everything we can to protect future generations of children from abuse and there will be no excuses for anyone who works with children and young people not to report.”
