Qld: Call for GG to stand down over abuse case

AAP General News (Australia)
12-10-2001
Qld: Call for GG to stand down over abuse case

By John Sheed

BRISBANE, Dec 10 AAP - Governor-General Peter Hollingworth should stand down over his
lack of action on child abuse at an Anglican Church-run school, a child protection worker
said today.

People's Alliance Against Child Sexual Abuse president Hetty Johnston said it was intolerable
the person who now held a vice-regal position could not be trusted to do the right thing
by abused children.

On Friday, a Supreme Court jury ordered the Anglican Diocese of Brisbane to pay $834,800
damages to a 24-year-old woman sexually abused 11 years ago by a former boarding master
at the Toowoomba Preparatory School.

The church was considering an appeal against the decision and has maintained that it
knew nothing about the activities of the school's former boarding master Kevin George
Guy until the day he committed suicide, leaving a letter saying he loved 20 girls at the
school.

Ms Johnston said child abuse happened in a lot of institutions and her stand was not
personally against Dr Hollingworth, the former Archbishop of Brisbane, or against the
Anglican Church.

"It's about the fact that he now holds the very vice regal position of governor-general
of this country and he has demonstrated that when he had the opportunity to stand up and
do the right thing by these children, he didn't do it," Ms Johnston said.

She said it was clear to her from evidence of the court hearing published in the media
that Dr Hollingworth had opportunities to reach out and help the children.

"The archbishop himself refused to telephone the very distraught parents of one of
the children and this is absolutely abhorrent behaviour from anybody.

"He didn't do it and his actions and that of the church added to the pain and the trauma
of those families and that's absolutely disgraceful," Ms Johnston said.

She said she was not going to cease her campaign until Dr Hollingworth stood down.

"I'm just going to be a pain in the neck and I really mean this because we've got the
Queen coming out in February and we've had lot of phone calls this morning from people
who are prepared to do what it takes to make sure this happens.

"The correct thing for Peter Hollingworth, the right and proper thing is for him to stand down.

"Now if he's going to defend this and continue to defend it then I'm calling on the
prime minister now to hold an inquiry - a Senate inquiry if it means we can get to the
bottom of this."

Ms Johnston said if Australians accepted this behaviour in the person who held the
highest position in Australia it would sanction child abuse behaviour in all institutions
everywhere.

The Anglican Diocese of Brisbane said it may issue a statement later today, but yesterday
general manager Bernard Yorke said the church expressed regret over the incident.

Mr Guy took his own life on December 18, 1990, the day he was to appear in court over the matter.

Mr Yorke said senior church officials maintained they had no knowledge of Guy's activities
until the day of his suicide.

No immediate response was available today from Government House in Canberra.

AAP jfs/sc/ph/bwl

KEYWORD: CHILD

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