In recent years a great deal of attention has been focused on the role of organisations in preventing or enabling child sexual abuse. In particular, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse examined the manner in which institutions such as churches and schools had historically responded to offending of this nature within their organisations.
The Royal Commission made a wide range of recommendations, many of which have since been adopted throughout Australia. In Queensland, one of the key recommendations of the Royal Commission that was adopted involved the creation of ‘Third party’ offences where people can be held criminally liable if they fail to take steps to stop child sexual abuse being committed by others in certain circumstances.
Third Party Offences
Sections 229BB and 229BC of the Criminal Code create criminal offences for people who have relevant knowledge regarding sexual offences being committed against children and fail to take steps to stop the offending in certain circumstances, or fail to report the information to the police.
Section 229BB – Failure to protect child from child sexual offence
Section 229BB applies to an adult associated with an institution (referred to as an “accountable person”) who knows there is a significant risk that another adult associated with the institution will commit a child sexual offence in relation to either a child under 16, or a child under 18 with an impairment of the mind.
This section creates an offence for a person in the above position who fails to remove or reduce the risk posed, in circumstances where they have the power or responsibility to do so.
The offence under section 229BB is aimed at people in positions of management or authority who gain knowledge that a risk exists and fail to take appropriate steps to deal with the risk, for instance by removing the other person from the organisation or stopping their involvement with children.
It is clear from subsection (2) that the provision is particularly targeted at religious organisations.  It states that it does not matter that the information was gained by the person through a religious confession.
Section 229BC – Failure to report belief of child sexual offence committed in relation to child
Section 229BC applies to an adult who gains information that causes them to believe, on reasonable grounds (or ought reasonably to cause them to believe) that a child sexual offence is being, or has been committed against a child by another adult.
The section creates an offence for a person in this position who fails, without reasonable excuse, to report the information to the police as soon as reasonably practicable.
There are some key differences between the conduct captured under section 229BC and that targeted under 229BB. Firstly, section 229BC does not require the adult to be associated with an institution in order for the section to apply. This means that any adult who becomes aware of the sort of information referred to in the section could be criminally liable for not reporting this information to police.
Secondly, the wording of the section refers to a child sexual offence that is being, or has been, committed. This extends the relevant information to include information about past offences as well as ongoing offending. This gives the section a much broader scope than 229BB, which only considers situations where there is a risk of future offending.
Thirdly, 229BC contains a built in defence whereby a person will not be criminally liable for not reporting the information to police if they had a reasonable excuse not to do so. Subsection (4) lists a number of circumstances in which a person will be deemed to have a reasonable excuse.  However this is not an exhaustive list, meaning that the courts may find that a person had a reasonable excuse not to report the information to police in other circumstances.
Could both sections apply to the same circumstances?
While at this stage there are no published decisions confirming how these provisions will be interpreted by the courts, it is possible to envisage a situation where the two sections could overlap.
An adult associated with an institution may gain information which causes them to believe on reasonable grounds that a child sexual offence is being committed by another person associated with the institution, giving rise to liability under section 229BC if they do not report this information to police.
If the person is also in a management or supervisory position, such that they have the power or responsibility to remove the risk, they may also incur liability under section 229BB if they fail to do so.
Sections 229BB and 229BC impose obligations on adults who become aware of information relating to child sexual offending to take steps to stop the offending occurring, and assign criminal liability to those who fail to do so. For people associated with an organisation involving children, particularly people in a management or supervisory position, this risk is further increased.
If you have any concerns about liability that may apply to you or others within your organisation under these sections, you should contact us to seek further legal advice immediately.
 
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Original Source: Here A pilot’s seat will become the main focus for aviation lawyers representing passengers on board a LATAM flight that plunged into a mid-air emergency between Sydney and Auckland last month. At least 50 people were injured and 12 hospitalised when the 787 Dreamliner dropped abruptly mid-flight on March 11 sending passengers slamming […]

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The legal cases surrounding the conduct of by Bruce Lehrmann in raping Brittany Higgins on a Federal Minister’s couch in Parliament House in 2019 appear to be finally coming towards a conclusion. Justice Michael Lee in the Federal Court found Mr Lehrmann raped Ms Higgins on the balance of probabilities
The post Legal Costs and the Bruce Lehrmann Case appeared first on Lynn & Brown Lawyers.

Bruce Minter, long-term strata committee member, joins me as we discuss the incredible resilience required to lead a strata community. Bruce explains how he helped his community shift its collective mindset and break “the curse of low levies”. He shares lessons learned from the U.S. Founding Fathers, and his unique understanding that strata “is not a jam stall at a school fete. It’s a business”.

Did you know that the first same sex divorce in Australia was finalised in 2018? This case involved two women in Western Australia who had married overseas. While their separation predated the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Australia, they were unable to formally divorce due to legal limitations on recognising their union.  This landmark case […]
The post Same Sex Divorce in Australia appeared first on JB Solicitors.

From our Managing Director Matthew Rouse 
I am filled with gratitude for the continued trust and support of our clients and referrers. In the ever-evolving landscape of legal services, your loyalty to Rouse Lawyers does not go unnoticed. I recognise that in a market as competitive as ours, you have a plethora of options to choose from and yet you choose us. For this, I extend my utmost thanks.
The first quarter of 2024 has passed by in a whirlwind of activity here at the firm. It has been a period of rapid expansion fuelled by the increased volume and value of work entrusted to us by you. Since our inception over seventeen years ago, we have grown hand in hand with your evolving needs for expert legal support, both in front-end business services and commercial disputes.
Enhanced Specialist Expertise
To ensure that we continue to provide exceptional service in our specialist practice areas, we have made strategic senior additions to our team. Lucie Marsden (estate planning) and Christopher Andary (property and commercial) joined us in the second half of 2023 and since then we have welcomed several other new faces. Both Lucie and Chris are part of our Senior Leadership Team.
David McKewin, who leads our litigation team, now has the support of Yusuf Furgan and Cleopatra Jackson. Their expertise, gained from practising in specialist litigation firms, adds invaluable depth to our capabilities.
Likewise, Alexander Bowen has joined Chris in our property team, bringing with him experience from one of Queensland’s most prominent commercial law firms.
Bolstered Legal Support
Tiarne Beazley will be familiar to many of you as she has been the main point of contact for accounts and legal admin for over 7 years. Working with Tiarne in these respects, we are delighted to welcome Mirka Horakova-Moran to our team in a newly created Legal Secretary role. With her background in major international and top-tier national Australian firms, we are confident in her ability to provide you with exceptional personalised support when engaging with our Litigation and Estate Planning teams.
Optimising Operations and Services
As we continue to grow, we understand the imperative to reassess our processes and infrastructure to ensure that we deliver nothing short of excellence in our services to you. Tamara McCombe, with her extensive experience in business development and operations within the legal industry, will play a pivotal role in this endeavour. Please do not hesitate to reach out to her with any feedback or suggestions you may have regarding our services, communications and your customer experience.
Personalising and Maximising Client Services
The diversity of legal expertise that our new additions bring is testament to our commitment to providing you with the comprehensive and efficient legal solutions one expects of the biggest firm names but with the personalisation of a trusted advisor interested in your long-term success. This deliberate expansion underscores our dedication to serving you better, ensuring that Rouse Lawyers remains your trusted partner in your commercial legal matters.
As we forge ahead into the rest of the year, I want to reassure you that our commitment to your success remains unwavering. Thank you once again for choosing Rouse Lawyers as your legal partner.

The post Strategic Growth, Enduring Relationships: A Thank You from Rouse Lawyers appeared first on Rouse Lawyers.

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‘I’d do exactly the same again.’

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Introduction Tony Scott, a 62-year-old construction worker, is legally challenging his insurance company, MLC, after they denied his income insurance claim. Scott, who suffered severe health setbacks from lymphoma and COVID-19, claims the denial has cost him over $200,000 in lost wages. Background of the Case Scott was placed in a coma due to COVID-19 […]