Shock number of sex abuse claims at Victorian schools
Almost 300 former students of 180 Victorian schools are pursuing historic child abuse claims, with each victim potentially due to receive a multimillion-dollar payout.
These include claims against more than 70 state schools, revealed by The Herald Sun for the first time.
Experts say this is likely given 34 other state primary schools face claims from one law firm alone – Arnold Thomas & Becker Lawyers.
Principal lawyer Kim Price said his firm was “working with hundreds of clients who as children endured severe sexual, physical and psychological abuse throughout their formative years that have had a profound impact on the rest of their lives”.
Meanwhile a spokeswoman for Premier Daniel Andrews said he would “make a formal apology in parliament on the government’s behalf to survivors of abuse in government schools”.
Mr Price said there had been “inherent failures in systems and policies within some schools to enable the notification and prevention of sexual and physical abuse”.
Mr Price also warned survivors to be “wary of the government’s redress scheme as it offers a cap of $150,000 to individual victims, whilst civil litigation with the support of a specialist abuse lawyer can provide millions in compensation to the individual.”
He welcomed an apology from the Premier but said it was “only one part of an approach to address the failures which have run rampant across Victorian schools”.
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