This newsletter provides an update on the National Redress Scheme (the Scheme). It includes details on the Scheme’s application processing, the new Direct Personal Response Information Service and participating institutions.

The update contains material that could be confronting or distressing. Sometimes words or images can cause sadness or distress or trigger traumatic memories, particularly for people who have experienced past abuse or childhood trauma.

Support is available to help you if you need it. To find out more, go to 
www.nationalredress.gov.au/help-support/get-free-help-apply/redress-support-services.

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

Application processing and recent institutions to join:

Application progress

As of 20 May 2022, the Scheme:

  • had received 15,950 applications.
  • made 9,633 decisions — including 8,342 payments, totalling over $723.3 million (m), with an average of $86,712.
  • had made 9,420 offers for redress. Applicants have six months to consider their offer of redress.
  • is currently progressing 6,067 applications.
  • had 740 applications that are on hold or paused, including 114 applications due to institution not participating (representing 1.7% of applications on hand).
  • had finalised 8,683 applications and made $723.4m in redress payments. The total number of applications finalised and redress payments in Year 1 are 239 ($19.8m). 2,537 ($205.0m) in Year 2, 3,283 ($285.0m) in Year 3 of the Scheme and 2,624 ($213.6m) in Year 4 of the Scheme.
  • had 43 IDMs actively making decisions.

Participating institutions update

All institutions where child sexual abuse has occurred are encouraged to sign up to the Scheme as soon as possible.

As at Declaration 3, signed by the Minister on 1 April 2022:

  • all Commonwealth and State and Territory government institutions and 585 non government institutions are now participating in the Scheme.
  • approximately 70,400 sites across Australia are now covered by the Scheme.
  • there are 67 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.

A number of institutions were recently added to the Scheme legislation. This declaration is available via the Federal Register of Legislation:
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2022C00171(Opens in a new tab/window).

For the latest information about institutions, visit our website:
www.nationalredress.gov.au/institutions.

Direct Personal Response Information and Support Service

The Scheme has recently introduced the new Direct Personal Response (DPR) Information and Support (IS) service.

The DPR IS service helps survivors, their nominees and support persons to learn more about direct personal response - what it is, what it can involve and what it might look like for them. It can also help survivors to contact the responsible institution(s) to start the DPR process, or connect them with a Redress Support Service to support them during the process.

The service assists participating institutions through the provision of information about the DPR process (including an institution’s DPR obligations, skills required and training obligations) and supporting them to provide a meaningful outcome for the survivor.

To contact the DPR IS service, call 1800 737 377 and ask to speak with a member of the service.

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 or +61 2 6222 3455 from overseas.

For regular updates about the Department of Social Services and the Scheme, you can ‘like’ or ‘follow’ the Australian Families Facebook page: facebook.com/FamiliesInAustralia(Opens in a new tab/window).

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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