‘Worse than the church’: Lawyers of child sexual abuse victims slam ‘delay tactics’ of Scouts Australia

Lawyers acting for two men who were sexually abused by scout leaders when they were children have accused the organisation of employing cruel delay tactics to dodge legal action and prevent justice.

One of the survivors, John*, was part of a local scout group as a child and was allegedly sexually abused at a camp around 1993 or 1994.

A formal complaint was lodged with Scouts New South Wales on February 24 last year.

Since then, a spokesperson for law firm Slater and Gordon said there has been radio silence with emails, letters, phone calls, voicemails and messages left with assistants completely ignored.

Another survivor of abuse, a man named Jack*, has experienced similar stonewalling from the Victorian branch of Scouts Australia.

Jack was sexually abused in the mid-1970s by a scout leader who gave him music lessons. The perpetrator, who is now dead, was accused of also abusing an eight-year-old boy around the same time.

According to police reports, the man was known for parking his bicycle outside St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School and talking with children, encouraging them to join the 1st Port Melbourne Scouts group.

Jack reported the abuse to police and Scouts Victoria in 2021, before engaging Slater and Gordon to act on his behalf.

Since then, his lawyer has been “continuously chasing” Scouts Victoria’s lawyer, who had initially detailed their availability for an informal meeting in January this year.

There has been no response to correspondence since then.

Stephanie Brown, head of abuse law at the firm Slater and Gordon, described the organisation’s behaviour towards survivors as “worse than that of the church”.

“We have repeatedly encountered instances where Scouts Australia has failed to answer emails or schedule crucial meetings, causing significant delays in the resolution of abuse claims,” Ms Brown said.

“These delay tactics are deeply harmful to survivors who have already endured so much. Our clients have courageously come forward to seek justice, only to face unnecessary hurdles that add to their trauma.”

Following the historic Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, which ran from 2013 and made a number of significant recommendations, there is no longer a time limit on child sexual abuse compensation claims.

The reforms allow survivors to pursue damages regardless of how long ago the abuse occurred.

Despite the Royal Commission’s damning revelations of abuse and the poor treatment of survivors, legal experts have accused organisations of deliberately dragging out matters in a bid to frustrate those seeking justice.

“By deliberately delaying outcomes, institutions who allowed the abuse to perpetrated on these children are hoping survivors will be worn down and give up,” Ms Brown said.

“This is done with no regard for the severe affect this behaviour has on survivors.

“In many instances we are finding the behaviour we’re encountering from Scouts Australia as worse than that of the church when it comes to dealing with historical child abuse claims.”

Ms Brown said organisations are more concerned with “protecting their image” than dealing in good faith with survivors.

“For our clients, it’s about a continuous journey to healing and justice,” she said.

“Justice delayed is justice denied. We are calling for urgent action to ensure that all matters are addressed in a timely and respectful manner, without further delay.

Scout leaders are broadly considered to be among the worst perpetrators of child sexual abuse in the sports and recreation space, with a number of high-profile convictions in recent times.

Former scout leader Kim Richard Henry was jailed in 2017 for the abuse of 15 boys between 1974 and 1989.

In sentencing him to more than 12 years’ imprisonment for 33 serious charges, the Country Court in Victoria declared his “depraved” acts had caused havoc in the lives of his victims.

That same year, another former leader, Neville Budge, was convicted of abusing eight boys between 1995 and 2002 while working in the Geelong region.

In October 2018, in the shadow of the Royal Commission’s damning findings, Scouts Australia issued an apology to survivors of child sexual abuse.

Phil Harrison, chief commissioner of the organisation, acknowledged the organisation had “failed” children in its care, causing “pain” to many.

“Scouts Australia has a responsibility to survivors of abuse and we will honour that,” Mr Harrison said.

He added that the organisation was “willing to meet with anyone who wishes to meet with us” to address the harm suffered.

In a statement to news.com.au, Chris Allen, national general manager of Scouts Australia, denied the survivors’ and Slater and Gordon’s claims.

“Scouting has served young people for more than a century,” Mr Allen said.

“Scouts Australia has a zero-tolerance policy towards abuse and is aware of the impact historical matters may have on survivors.

It is unaware of any failure to respond appropriately to communications from a law firm or survivor but will investigate if details are provided.”

He said Scouts Australia deals with its “historic failures promptly, honestly and respectfully”.

* Pseudonyms given to protect the identity of survivors