The Board of Inquiry was open to receiving submissions from individuals and organisations encompassing all experiences, views and ideas within the scope of its Terms of Reference.
This appendix contains details of the submission process. This guidance was available on the Board of Inquiry’s website to assist individuals and organisations in developing their submissions.
This appendix also contains the names of people who made public submissions, as well as a list of those professionals and organisations that made public submissions within scope of the inquiry. The Board of Inquiry is grateful to those who provided submissions, and acknowledges their generosity in sharing their experiences, knowledge and expertise. More information about submissions received by the Board of Inquiry can be found in Chapter 1, Establishment and approach.
Submission process
Submissions could be any length and shared in any format, such as online, via mail, or in audio or audio-visual formats. For those uncertain about whether to share their experiences, they were guided to contact the Board of Inquiry.
Submissions could be made on a public, anonymous or confidential basis:
- Public submissions could be published or referred to in the Board of Inquiry’s work.
- Anonymous submissions could be published or referred to in the Board of Inquiry’s work but with all identifying information removed.
- Confidential submissions would inform the Board of Inquiry’s work but would not be published or referred to publicly in the Board of Inquiry’s work (even in a de-identified way).
Questions were provided on the Board of Inquiry’s website to guide the development of the submissions, but those making submissions were not required to answer all or any of the questions. The questions were:
- What is your experience of child sexual abuse between the 1960s and 1970s by a teacher, employee or contractor of Beaumaris Primary School, or by a teacher, employee or contractor connected to Beaumaris Primary School (for example, because they previously worked at Beaumaris Primary School)?
- If you are uncertain about whether to share your experience with the inquiry, please contact the inquiry via telephone on (03) 8301 0182 or via email at contact@beaumarisinquiry.vic.gov.au.
- Was the abuse reported to the school, the Department of Education, an officer of the Department, or any other authority, at the time, or in subsequent years? If the abuse was reported, what was the response and what did you think or feel about the response?
- How has the abuse affected your life and the life of your family, friends, loved ones and other supporters?
- Do you have any experience with, or ideas about, appropriate ways to support healing (in particular, ways to support those who disclose child sexual abuse as an adult)?
- Do you think support services for adult victim-survivors of child sexual abuse in government schools are effective? Please explain your response.
- Please share anything else about your experience you would like the inquiry to know and that is relevant to the inquiry’s Terms of Reference.
You may wish to comment on findings and recommendations relevant to this inquiry’s Terms of Reference; the implementation of relevant recommendations; what impact previous related inquiries have had on child safety in Victoria; or what impact they have had on you.
Submissions received
Several submissions were received from victim-survivors, secondary victims, affected community members and members of the public. Those who indicated a preference for their submissions to be made public were Kym Marriot, Matthew Grey, Simon McGarvie, Lucy Cuzzupe, David Henthorn, Lionel Mrocki and David ‘Macca’ McCarthy.
The Board of Inquiry also received submissions from a range of professionals and organisations. Submissions were received from Bravehearts, Sexual Assault Services Victoria, Angela Sdrinis Legal, In Good Faith Foundation, LOUD fence Inc and Maurice Blackburn Lawyers. Where appropriate, these submissions were published on the Board of Inquiry’s website (noting that some professionals and organisations requested that their submissions, or elements of their submissions, be kept anonymous or confidential).
Appendix G
Updated