I cannot remember the exact day that I met Frida Briggs, but it was in late February/ early March 2005 in the state parliament's Speaker's wood panelled meeting room adjacent the Speaker's office (when MP Peter Lewis was still Speaker). Please refer previous posts re my 'time' in and around the Speaker's office, radiotherapy, etc, across Feb-April 2005.
Obviously the discussion was about the St Martins Lutheran School Child Abuse Cover-up, the actions of the Lutherans, SAPol, Labor ministers, particularly Rory McEwen, etc. We provided her copies of various documents, etc, but I do not have a letter as such either to or from her...well, not that I can remember and/or find.
I don't know what she did from there, but we're still waiting. I have known people to be very critical of Professor Briggs as a 'media junky' in that she talks up a big game and loves the limelight, but ultimately doesn't seem to do much. I don't know..I don't really know her...I only know what is here in this post, and what hasn't happened...
We met Prof Briggs again in July/August 2007 when she attended a Child Protection forum in Mt Gambier, and not long after sent me the email below. During this conversation she stated that she had heard that teacher Glyn Dorling (SMLSCACU) had been/was still teaching in Victoria; Commissioner Ted Mullghan stated the same thing in 2006, claiming that a SAPol officer had alerted him.
The email identifies that police and the Teachers Registration Board/Crown Solicitors Office have at the very least stuffed things up, but directs us parents to sort it out, and I have never heard from her again, but cannot speak for other parents.
"...the findings of Dr Fitzgerald and colleague." and "the FMC assessor" are the Flinders Child Protection Unit who gave evidence at the TRB/CSO hearing, as covered in previous posts.
With the 'launch' of the Child Abuse Royal Commission, Professor Briggs has been in the media over the last few days. I do not know to what degree her brief interview on ABC TV (News 24?) was edited, but I was very concerned that all she seemed to talk about was abuses committed against children by other children.
In a world saturated with Internet pornography, relentless sexualization of young women and girls (and men/boys for that matter) through the media, advertising, etc, it is unfortunately an increasing issue; our societies institutionalised and socialised discrimination against women, particularly in religion, for example, or Motor Racing, or Rugby; etc, etc...
There are, these are, real issues to be addressed, I agree, but that is not specifically what the Royal Commission is supposed to be doing, and it is an unhelpful distraction from the issue.
The issue, if I may be so presumptious yes I think I may, is that this 'Abuse' has been going on almost unchecked committed by adults in many 'institutions', eg, the former Adelaide Anglican Archbishop (Bishop?..whatever) Ian George, literally drove paedophile offender (?first name) Mountford to the airport to leave the country so as to avoid arrest for Child Abuse.
And what happened to them both...Nothing...nothing for the man who drove the getaway car...and even when Mountford returned to Adelaide, charges were dropped because the witness/witnesses were too traumatised...but I digress, other than to say that this unfortunately is one small example....
The CARC is supposedly investigating such failures of 'the system', the issues Professor Briggs identified recently are important and real, but should be addressed outside the CARC. If a school, Church, etc, have moved an offending child so as to avoid repercussioins, as they move teachers and preachers, then that is the issue of institutionalised abuse, etc, that the CARC can address.
Beyond that I have no faith in the CARC, at its very best it will make recommendations years from now for legislation and possibly charges that will take years more.
Unfortunately it is the dual reality that it must be done, but there is so much that must be continued because the CARC won't address many current problems. The CARC is not an excuse to back-off, but a tiny window of opportunity to tread on the throat (metaphorically speaking) of institutionalised Child Abuse.
This Arvo: St Martins Lutheran School Newsletter re "Rumours"
Tomorrow: New Pope Speaks Frankly on Child Abuse
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