980 Arch Dis Child: first published as 10.1136/adc.88.11.980 on 11 November 2003. Downloaded from NOTES FROM AUSTRALIA ...... Child advocacy and the Queen’s representative; an unlikely link n Australia, as in many other coun- the Queen of England on the recom- subsequently accused him of having tries, we find it immensely difficult to mendation of the Australian Prime been unsympathetic and lacking in Iget children’s issues on the radar Minister. He (it has never been a compassion, as well as confirming screens of politicians or newspaper ‘‘she’’) is usually an eminent person that he had made serious errors of editors. Occasionally we get stories with a background of service to the judgement. about the lack of childcare places, or community; the majority in recent times Suddenly sexual abuse was in the concern about numbers of children have been from the judiciary. Their news, on the front page of newspapers, diagnosed with attention deficit-hyper- duties consist of having to take up and on talk-back radio every day for activity disorder and who have medica- residence in a stately mansion in many weeks. A number of child welfare tions prescribed for them. And from Canberra complete with a host of organisations, including those which time to time there are distressing servants, instantly becoming patron of were established to protect the rights accounts of child physical or sexual dozens of charities and service organisa- of children, demanded in no uncertain abuse. tions around the country, entertaining terms that the Governor-General step These little blips on the radar screen visiting dignitaries, giving the occa- down as their patron. There were calls are inevitably of short duration, and sional speech, and other such tasks as for his resignation as it was suggested quickly disappear into the dustbin of to set the heart racing. he was a person unfit to hold such a yesterday’s news. The children’s issues In June 2001 Peter Hollingworth was prominent national office. He resisted that do get into the public consciousness appointed to the post of Governor- these calls, and was supported in this are usually so transient that they are General of Australia. He seemed to have stance by the Prime Minister. Week by unlikely to threaten the comfort zones the necessary attributes for the job—a week the issue gained more momen- of politicians or bureaucrats or disturb long record of community service, pro- tum. The issue of child sexual abuse and their sleep habits. minent in government circles, well its management was pulled along by the One of the reasons that children’s known to the masses, and so on. current and achieved a national media issues don’t seem to gather much However his appointment caused great prominence hitherto unheard of. It also momentum is that they are often consternation on several counts. First provided the opportunity for child advo- reported locally. Australia is a federation the Republicans were up in arms, cates and those working with abused with clearly defined differing roles of claiming that this vestige of colonialism children to be given air space and many commonwealth and state governments. has certainly passed its use-by-date column inches of newspapers to This means that the array of services (opinion polls show consistently that a advocate for children. that cater for young children and their significant majority of Australians At the end of May, Hollingworth families is a shared responsibility favour Australia becoming a Republic). finally resigned as Governor-General. A between the different levels of govern- Second was the fact that Hollingworth new Governor-General has been duly ment, a situation that creates ideal is of the cloth, having been most appointed. The saga has run its course conditions for evasion of responsibility recently prior to his appointment the and is not regarded as news any more. and for buck passing. This confusing Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane. It was However, in its wash-up, there have hybrid of funding arrangements argued that not only did this blur the http://adc.bmj.com/ between commonwealth and state gov- traditional separation of church and been calls for a national enquiry (a ernments has been identified repeatedly state, but was an entirely inappropriate Royal Commission) into child abuse; as the greatest barrier to the reform of appointment in the multicultural, lar- arguments put forward that there children’s services in this country— gely secular Australia of the 21st cen- should be a national policy and service more on this some other time. tury. But worse was to come. framework for child physical and sexual However, over recent months there Some months ago it was claimed that abuse; renewed calls by the Labor has been an extraordinary amount of while Archbishop of Brisbane in the opposition for a Children’s Com- missioner to safeguard the rights of national attention paid to an important 1990s, Hollingworth had mishandled on September 29, 2021 by guest. Protected copyright. child health issue, even though in an allegations of child sexual abuse perpe- children; and so on. One might hope oblique manner. Child sexual abuse has trated by clergymen. Among other criti- that one of the outcomes might be a been the topic of intense and sustained cisms, it was said that he had allowed a better deal for children. On the other media attention. But let me start from priest to remain in the Ministry after he hand, if history is any guide, govern- the beginning. had admitted sexually abusing a child. ments will simply ‘‘tough it out’’ until Australia is in the unusual (and some Hollingworth was the subject of a the issue dies away completely. Then it would say unbelievable in this day and programme shown on national televi- will be back to business as usual, and age) position of still looking to the sion in which he admitted that he may children will fall off the agenda again. Queen of England as our head of state. have made errors of judgement, but This status is largely ceremonial, though then later in the same programme not so long ago the Queen’s representa- implied that all the blame should not Frank Oberklaid Centre for Community Child Health, Royal tive in Australia did dismiss a popularly have laid on the clergyman as the young Children’s Hospital Melbourne, Flemington elected government. The Governor- woman may have come on to him, to Road, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia; General of Australia is appointed by use the vernacular. A church enquiry [email protected]

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