In short:
The Tasmanian government will introduce new vicarious liability laws, which will make organisations liable for the actions of individuals that aren’t formally employed by them.
Victim survivor and advocate Steve Fisher says the legislation is a step forward, and will overcome the hurdle created by a 2024 High Court decision.
[I]n November 2024, a High Court decision, known as Bird v. DP, meant priests were not considered employees of churches and, therefore, some churches could not be sued for their actions.
The decision affected victim-survivors of child sexual abuse who already had civil cases before court, as well as those yet to bring cases.
On Saturday, Attorney General Guy Barnett said the state government would be introducing legislation to “fix that anomaly” and provide opportunity for victim survivors to take action with respect to child sexual abuse in the past.
Tasmanian victim-survivor, advocate and chief executive of Beyond Abuse, Steve Fisher, said the reform was an important move.
“It needed to happen so people who have been abused by institutions can finally get the compensation they deserve,” Mr Fisher said.
[Ed: Lets hope other states and territories follow their lead. This does not inspire confidence in the High Court.]