Scheme’s 6th anniversary

The 6th anniversary of the National Redress Scheme (the Scheme) was on Monday 1 July 2024. Established in 2018, the Scheme acknowledges the harm done to people who experienced institutional child sexual abuse and holds the responsible institutions to account. 

It is a timely reminder to recognise the survivors of institutional child sexual abuse and applaud their bravery for speaking up about the abuse they have suffered. The Scheme offers survivors acknowledgement of their experienced abuse, lifelong trauma, and accountability for the institutions where this occurred.

The Scheme has so far provided 15,816 survivors with offers of redress and has made payments totalling over $1.41 billion. Of these offers, 74% of survivors have accepted the offer for counselling and psychological care and 59% have indicated they would like to receive a Direct Personal Response.

The Scheme continues to receive an increasing number of applications. In response, continuous improvement is one of the Scheme's priorities this year, with a focus on enhancing the efficiency of the application assessment process to deliver timelier trauma-informed outcomes to survivors. 

Applicants will also be able to provide additional information when requesting a review of their determination and finalised applications will be able to be reassessed if a relevant institution later joins the Scheme.

Redress Scheme to visit Muswellbrook, NSW

A free half-day community workshop about the National Redress Scheme will be held in Muswellbrook, NSW, next month.

The workshop will provide community organisation attendees with information about the National Redress Scheme and the Northern Territory Stolen Generations Redress Scheme. The session will discuss the different purposes and functions of the two Schemes, as well as how to engage with them and access free, confidential and culturally safe support.

Held on Thursday 8 August, Government representatives from both Schemes will be participating to share information and answer questions, plus presentations from various Redress Support Services and from knowmore Legal Service.

Please note, attendance at these workshops is limited to staff in community groups, organisations and services. There is limited capacity for each event, please register your organisation’s attendance below.

The Muswellbrook workshop will be held at the Stan Thiess Centre, from 9.30am – 1.00pm AEST, 8 August 2024. Register your organisation’s attendance through the online registration form(Opens in a new tab/window).

This workshop is part of a series of Redress Support Service-led workshops to raise awareness of the Scheme. Planning is underway for further workshops targeted to community organisations in NSW and Victoria. More information on these workshops will be available shortly.

To register your interest in future workshops, email DSSRedressEngagement@dss.gov.au.

Wrap up: community information sessions in NT

The Scheme recently hosted two free service provider workshops and community information sessions in Alice Springs on Friday 21 June and Darwin on Monday 24 June 2024.

These sessions were facilitated by representatives from the National Redress Scheme, in partnership with the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA), NT Government, Central Australian Aboriginal Congress, Northern Territory Stolen Generations Aboriginal Corporation, knowmore Legal Service, Relationships Australia NT and Bravehearts.

The sessions provided information on the National Redress Scheme and the Territories Stolen Generations Redress Scheme and discussed the different purposes and functions of the two Schemes, as well as how to engage with them and access free, confidential and culturally safe support. The sessions also provided a space for members of the community who may be Stolen Generations members or people who have experienced institutional child sexual abuse to ask questions about both Schemes and to connect with support services.

Both sessions gave local service providers and community members the opportunity to meet with representatives from both Schemes and funded Redress Support Services to learn about both Schemes. By providing information on both Schemes, local service providers were able to gain a deeper understanding of the eligibility requirements and how to support potential applicants. Feedback from people who attended the events and local community services was very positive.

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Scheme Data

As at 5 July 2024, there have been 44,342 applications to the Scheme. Of these:

  • 18,372 applicants have had their outcomes advised. Of these: 
    • 15,816 payments have been made totalling approximately $1.41 billion dollars
  • 1,813 have been withdrawn by the applicant
  • 24,157 applications are yet to receive an outcome. Of these: 
    • 15,069 applications are actionable by the Scheme.
    • 2,476 applications are being validated with the initial contact being made
    • 9,360 applications are in the information gathering stage
    • 2,591 applications are with an IDM for a determination
    • 642 applications are being prepared for delivery of the outcome
  • 2,426 applications are unable to be actioned by the Scheme. Of these:
    • 1,336 are awaiting the applicant to provide additional information
    • 1,090 are undergoing a special assessment for serious criminal conviction/applying from gaol
  • 6,662 applications are on hold.

The Australian Government acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, water, culture and community. We pay our respects to the Elders both past and present.

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