Grace Tame Wants Convicted Paedophiles To Lose Their Superannuation And Have It Given To Victims
Grace Tame wants the Australian government to get tough on convicted paedophiles and ensure they aren't able to enjoy retirement.
The former Australian of the Year has called on the Albanese Administration to introduce legislation that sees these monsters have part of their superannuation taken away from them.
Not only that, but Tame wants that cash to be given to the paedophile's victim or victims.
"Paedophiles are able to hide their assets in their super, which should be available to compensate survivors of abuse," she explained on the ABC's 7:30 programme.
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"What this means is that the liability is on the taxpayer to fund the compensation of survivors.
"What needs to change is that paedophiles should be responsible for compensating their victims."
According to the ABC, current rules allow child sexual abuse victims to be compensated if they launch civil action against their abuser.
However, that compensation isn't allowed to come from any funds that are held in the abuser's super.
There was a plan in 2018 to do exactly what Grace Tame is now calling for.
Under the Coalition, then-Financial Services Minister, Kelly O'Dwyer, revealed the government was working on a plan to ensure a paedophile's superannuation wasn't off limits in compensation claims.
At the time, Minister O'Dwyer said: "For too long those people who have perpetrated these horrific crimes have been able to hide behind a shield.
"This denies those victims access to compensation that, in ordinary circumstances, they would be able to have. And we don't think it's right."
However, the ABC reports the policy stalled and hasn't been properly discussed since.
The government has revealed that it would 'welcome a discussion' with Ms Tame about her proposal, but nothing concrete has been laid out just yet.
Victims' advocate advocate Howard Brown explained why the policy might be a bit tricky, at least from an optics point of view, to roll out
He told 7:30: "One of the issues, which I understand was a stumbling point for the previous Morrison government, was that there was some concern that if we were to deplete a person's superannuation, they would then become dependent upon the government so that then the government would be seen as paying perpetrators a pension.
"I didn't believe that that was a substantive issue, to be honest, because we would not be looking to deplete a person's superannuation."
He added that they would only be looking for 'reasonable compensation' if they were to target a paedophile's superannuation.
Topics: Australia
Stewart Perrie