Politicians are being deceived

One in three girls and one in six boys will be sexually assaulted in some way before they reach the age of 18 years (Australian Institute of Criminology’s Second Conference on Violence, June 1993) and 70% of all prisoners have been abused as children (Children’s Commissions’ report into paedophilia August 5, 1997).

It’s no wonder that so many people are fucked up and confused about sex.

The effects of sexual assault often stay with people for the rest of their lives and although many people do deal with it and get over it, there are many who struggle. If sexual assaults were caused by a virus that infected the brains of the abusers, millions of dollars would be thrown at it as a health problem. But because it involves the act of sex and is driven by the human condition, the usual suspects of guilt and shame come out to make this an issue that is very difficult to deal with.

Politicians and establishment figures are often the worst ones to deal with it. In the case of two former Queensland politicians – Keith Wright and Bill D’Arcy – they were actually amongst the worst rapists of children themselves. In terms of dealing with child sex assault, the Queensland Premier Peter Beattie and his DPP have come under a lot of criticism for their handling of these allegations. And then there was the former Governor General who as a former Queensland Anglican Archbishop, failed miserably in dealing with child sex assaults within his own flock.

There’s something basically wrong in Queensland with official attitudes to sex. It’s the most censored state in Australia for adult erotica and yet it has the most dismal record on child sex assault. Maybe the two issues are even linked.

If you live in Queensland, its time you had a politician who is prepared to do something about the shocking state of affairs. And the forthcoming federal election will give you that opportunity.

Hetty Johnston was an independent candidate for a Senate seat in Queensland.

Hetty founded Bravehearts – a non-profit community group committed to easing the suffering of children who have been sexually abused and assaulted and to changing society’s attitudes and structures to prevent this scourge in the future. She came to prominence as the main agitator against the former Governor General Peter Hollingworth for his attempts to cover up child sex assault in the church. She has since appeared on the ABC’s Australian Story and other national media.

A recent campaign in Queensland instigated by her and Bravehearts, led to the total closure of the State’s Child Protection Department - such was the dysfunction there. She is now involved in the re-establishment of a workable system for Queensland to protect children.

At the last Queensland state election, Premier Peter Beattie said he called it to give his government ‘a mandate to protect children’ - that’s how much of an issue Hetty and Bravehearts made of it.

Along with the Eros Association, Hetty Johnston has been proclaiming the need for a Royal Commission into the criminal sexual assault of children for many years. A Federal Royal Commission is the only vehicle through which our Federal Government can take ownership of this devastating crisis that currently threatens the health and wellbeing of our nation’s children. We need a national approach, we need a Federal Government that will take leadership and deliver national consistency in how we deal with this issue. John Howard has ignored it and has said that it is not important enough to warrant a formal inquiry. Chronic imbedded and systematic abuse within the Church continues to be met with blind eye politics. As with sexual assault matters generally, the protection of our children and how we deal with child sex offenders has not yet been considered a political priority but quite simply - child abuse ignored, is child abuse!

Did you Know
In South Australia, the Department of Human Services conservatively estimated the cost of child abuse and neglect in 1995-96 to be $354 million. Over the same period, that figure is more than the State earned from the sale of both its wine ($318 million) or it’s wool ($239 million).

(C’wealth Senator Andrew Murray Hansard 19 June 2002 Page 2061)

Over 500 church clergy have now been dealt with in Australian courts for child sex abuse. Not one prostitute, or so-called ‘pornographer’ has ever been convicted of a child sexual assault in Australia – ever!