National Redress Scheme – Update

This is the National Redress Scheme (the Scheme) update for April 2024. It includes:

  • an update on the recent legislative amendments 
  • details about the Scheme’s recently published Strategic Success Measures
  • an opportunity to provide your feedback on the Scheme’s website
  • the latest snapshot of Scheme data
  • and a summary of the most recent Declaration of newly participating institutions.

Support is available to help you if you need it. To find out more, go to www.nationalredress.gov.au/support.

If you need immediate support, 24-hour telephone assistance is available through:

Amendments to the Redress Act

On Thursday 4 April 2024, most of the measures in the National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse Amendment Act 2024 came into effect.

The measures:

  • remove the restriction on people applying from gaol;
  • refine the special assessment process for people with serious criminal convictions;
  • allow applicants to provide additional information with a request for review of their Redress offer;
  • provide additional authorisations for sharing protected information, including for the purposes of sharing information about non-participating institutions with applicants, and
  • allow for the option to reassess a finalised application if a relevant non-participating institution subsequently joins the Scheme (to take effect no later than 4 October 2024)

If you have questions on how these changes may impact your application, please contact the Scheme on 1800 737 377.

Strategic success measures reports

The Scheme’s strategic success measures were introduced in 2020 to measure how the Scheme is performing across three priority areas: 

  • survivor experience
  • health of the Scheme 
  • equity of access.

Following a recent review of the measures, new reports have now been published on the Scheme’s website.

We are building a new website

The Scheme is calling on website users to have their say on ways to improve the Scheme’s website.

If you have feedback or ideas and would like to participate, please take two minutes to complete the survey.

All survey responses are anonymous. No personal or confidential information will be collected. Your responses will be used to inform improvements to the website and will not be responded to.

For more details on how the Scheme manages your information, read Using and protecting your information.

Scheme Data

As at 19 April 2024, there have been 40,202 applications to the Scheme. Of these: 

  • 17,509 applicants have had their outcomes advised. Of these: 
    • 15,090 payments have been made totalling approximately $1.35 billion dollars
  • 1,599 have been withdrawn by the applicant
  • 21,094 applications are yet to receive an outcome. Of these: 
    • 12,642 applications are actionable by the Scheme.
      • 2,538 applications are being validated with the initial contact being made
      • 7,669 applications are in the information gathering stage
      • 1,699 applications are with an IDM for a determination
      • 736 applications are being prepared for delivery of the outcome
    • 2,343 applications are unable to be actioned by the Scheme. Of these:
      • 1,038 are awaiting the applicant to provide additional information
      • 1,305 are undergoing a special assessment for SCC/AFG
    • 6,109 applications are on hold.

Participating institutions update

The Minister's Declaration is an official list of all participating institutions. It is updated when a new institution joins the Scheme or the status of a participating institution changes. As of Declaration 1 of 2024 (signed by the Minister on 3 April 2024):

  • all Australian Government institutions, state and territory government institutions and 529 non-government institutions are now participating in the Scheme.
  • approximately 70,000 sites across Australia are now covered by the Scheme.
  • approximately 110 unique institutions have been declared under the Funder of Last Resort (FOLR) arrangements.
    • These institutions are defunct and the Commonwealth and/or relevant state governments are the FOLR.

The Declarations are available on the Federal Register of Legislation: 

For the latest information about institutions, visit our website.

Find out more

For further information about the Scheme, go to www.nationalredress.gov.au or call 1800 737 377 Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm AET from Australia. If you are overseas, please call +61 2 6222 3455 and then press 7 to be transferred to the National Redress Scheme. 

For regular updates about the Department of Social Services and the Scheme, you can ‘like’ or ‘follow’ the Australian Families Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/FamiliesInAustralia/.