Thursday, 13 August 2026

 Ann-Marie HERMANS (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (10:11): Last sitting week we gathered in the other place to formally apologise to victims and survivors of historical child sexual abuse in Victorian government schools. I would like to take this opportunity to say to victims and survivors that I too am very sorry for what you were forced to live through. This should never have happened to you. The fact that it occurred is a serious and systemic failure. We have a lot to learn. Unfortunately, the recent abuse in childcare centres, continued child sexual abuse in schools and rumours of ongoing sexual abuse of minors in residential care homes will definitely show us in further inquiries that there is still more work to be done. Just last year – and this is something I have tremendous difficulty in trying to get over – we had 2000 babies and toddlers between the ages of six months and two years that had to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases because of one childcare worker. Meanwhile, we have an unknown number of teachers who are undetected predators of child sexual violence transferring between schools. How many students are being put in harm’s way? The inquiries we need to have in the future are ongoing, because it should not have ended with just 1994.