- Ex-state wards seek millions
- By Marika Dobbin
- The Age
- 15/04/2009 Make a Comment (1)
- Contributed by: The Rooster ( 258 articles in 2009 )
MORE than 100 former wards of the state who allege they were sexually abused, beaten or mistreated in care are expected to seek millions of dollars in compensation from the Victorian Government in mediated settlements.
A dozen people have already received six-figure compensation sums after recent out-of-court agreements and another is on the verge of a settlement.
The Government insisted the amount paid in each case be confidential under the terms of agreement.
Angela Sdrinis, a partner at Ryan Carlisle Thomas solicitors representing hundreds of former wards, said she had issued legal proceedings against the State Government for 28 clients, but hoped they would all be resolved through out-of-court conferences that began in December.
She expected about 100 more clients would seek to negotiate compensation under the new protocols. Hers is one of several law firms acting on behalf of former wards.
"We resolve the claims in a much more healing, supportive environment as opposed to slugging it out in litigation," Ms Sdrinis said.
"In the past, the State Government basically ran these as they would any other adversarial litigation — they wouldn't agree to early settlement discussions, they required the claimants to apply for extension of time (from the statute of limitations) and, in my experience, they settled for pretty paltry amounts."
While Ms Sdrinis said settlements were proceeding better than ever, she criticised the Government for failing to appear at a federal Senate inquiry in Melbourne a fortnight ago relating to people abused in institutional care.
"The Victorian submission was a one-page letter. That's pretty appalling," she said.
A Government spokeswoman said Victoria was leading the way by having made an apology in Parliament to victims and fast-tracking settlement claims.
"We committed to providing a $7 million service establishing support services for Victorians who grew up in state care and experienced harm and abuse from their carers," the spokeswoman said.
Former ward Ron Hunt, who told The Age in November of sexual and physical abuse he suffered in a Salvation Army boys home in Box Hill and at the hands of a couple who had custody of him on weekends, was among the first cases to settle under the new protocols. Mr Hunt became a ward of the state in 1958.
A dozen people have already received six-figure compensation sums after recent out-of-court agreements and another is on the verge of a settlement.
The Government insisted the amount paid in each case be confidential under the terms of agreement.
Angela Sdrinis, a partner at Ryan Carlisle Thomas solicitors representing hundreds of former wards, said she had issued legal proceedings against the State Government for 28 clients, but hoped they would all be resolved through out-of-court conferences that began in December.
She expected about 100 more clients would seek to negotiate compensation under the new protocols. Hers is one of several law firms acting on behalf of former wards.
"We resolve the claims in a much more healing, supportive environment as opposed to slugging it out in litigation," Ms Sdrinis said.
"In the past, the State Government basically ran these as they would any other adversarial litigation — they wouldn't agree to early settlement discussions, they required the claimants to apply for extension of time (from the statute of limitations) and, in my experience, they settled for pretty paltry amounts."
While Ms Sdrinis said settlements were proceeding better than ever, she criticised the Government for failing to appear at a federal Senate inquiry in Melbourne a fortnight ago relating to people abused in institutional care.
"The Victorian submission was a one-page letter. That's pretty appalling," she said.
A Government spokeswoman said Victoria was leading the way by having made an apology in Parliament to victims and fast-tracking settlement claims.
"We committed to providing a $7 million service establishing support services for Victorians who grew up in state care and experienced harm and abuse from their carers," the spokeswoman said.
Former ward Ron Hunt, who told The Age in November of sexual and physical abuse he suffered in a Salvation Army boys home in Box Hill and at the hands of a couple who had custody of him on weekends, was among the first cases to settle under the new protocols. Mr Hunt became a ward of the state in 1958.
Source: https://www.theage.com.au/national/exstate-wards-seek-millions-20090414-a692.html
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