Latest news with #redress
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Abuse in care survivors in line for under a third of government's $774m package
Photo: 123RF Less than a third of the government's $774 million abuse in care redress package will end up in the pockets of survivors . Figures obtained by RNZ revealed only $205m was earmarked for paying new claims with $52m to go towards topping up previously closed claims. In defence of the figures, Erica Stanford, the Minister leading the government's abuse in care response, said redress payments were not the most important thing for some survivors and some of the $774m in this year's Budget was going towards changing the care system and providing other supports. However, $92m was for the civil servants who administered the redress funds and another $37m would pay for operating costs like premises and IT. For every two dollars going to survivors, more than a dollar would be spent on administration. Cooper Legal principal partner Sonja Cooper, whose firm had acted for hundreds of abuse survivors and victims, said it was a disgrace. Sonja Cooper Photo: RNZ / Aaron Smale "We were really disappointed with the announcement in any event," Cooper said. "I think now when you break it down, it actually just gets worse. The more information that is received, the more cynical and disappointing what's been offered to survivors is. "I've been reflecting on this because obviously we've seen what other Commonwealth countries have done. We've seen what Australia has done, we've seen what Canada has done, we've seen what Ireland has done and we really are letting everyone down. This must be the worst redress scheme put in place by a government for survivors of abuse in care across the Commonwealth. "I just think that's a disgrace. New Zealand has no excuse for that." The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had called for a new, independent and survivor-centric redress system. In announcing the $774m Budget package last month, the government also quashed any hope of establishing a new system, saying it would be costly and cause delays . But Cooper said the revelation so much of the government's package would be spent on administration had demonstrated why government officials should not have been trusted with the redress system in the first place. Officials were "taking so much away from the pockets of survivors, who deserve better than this", she said. "It's again, the system looking after itself. It's again, the system taking for itself and giving as little as it can to survivors, while the government continues to crow and pat itself on the back. "This is not a success. This is a failure, and it is a failure in so many ways. All of those who've been advocating for survivors, I've been doing it for 30 years now, I feel like we are back at the start. "This is not going to make survivors go away. It is a temporary fix and all I can hope is that at some stage we have another government that will actually do the right thing for survivors, because this is not." The Royal Commission investigated the cost of abuse in care and estimated it totalled between $96 billion and $217 billion - the vast majority of that was borne by survivors. The government's $289m of funding for financial redress and targeted supported represented just over 1.5 cents for every dollar of harm borne by survivors. In May following the announcement, Stanford called the $774m an investment into redress. "The announcement on Friday was significant," she told the House. "Let's start with that. More than three-quarters of a billion dollars - $774 million, as a pre-budget announcement; the single largest investment into redress in this country's history." Erica Stanford Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi Stanford was not available for an interview on Tuesday, but in a statement emphasised the funding was not only about redress. "To be clear, the $774 million investment in Budget 2025 was made to improve the redress system and [emphasis added by the Minister's office] improving the safety of children and vulnerable adults in care today. Many survivors have shared that their highest priority is for the system to change so what happened to them is prevented in the future," the statement said. "This includes important investments in initiatives like improving care workforce capability, improvements to safeguarding to reduce abuse and harm to children and young people in care, upgrades to mental health units to improve safety and dignity, more funding for oversight of compulsory mental health and addiction care, funding through the social investment model to fund effective initiatives that prevent entry into care, and upgrading systems to triage and respond to complaints. "It's important to note, that redress is about more than just monetary payments. The $485.5 million redress investment encompasses not only payments, but targeted supports, accessing records, being listened to and apologised to, funding for legal representation, and implementing improvements so that survivors have access to equitable redress regardless of which agency is administering it. That is what survivors have told us is important to them. While there are survivors who may be only interested in receiving financial redress, there are many others for who other aspects are just as important to them as a payment, if not more." The changes announced in this year's Budget would result in the average abuse in care claim payment rising from about $20,000 to about $30,000 - just over one month's salary for Minister Stanford. Keith Wiffin, a survivor who entered state care at 10 years old and sat on the Redress Design Group which provided a report to the government in late 2023, said survivors were grateful for the redress they received but it fell short of the promises the government had made. "Once again it's just not the investment required to bring about resolution and solution," he said. "Obviously, a lot of that money is not going to where it was originally indicated it would go to. It's just not going to bring about resolution - the investment required is more than that. "And I don't want to seem ungrateful because it's taxpayers' money and I am grateful for anything they put in. But it's just a small top up to an existing system which has fundamentally failed in the past." He was also outraged by how much of the funding would be spent on administration of redress. "It just highlights how unjust the whole thing is and how much how much of a misleading presentation by Erica Stanford and co, when they've clearly indicated that that money is to go to survivors," Wiffin said. "It's always the case with state sector redress programmes. There's so much of it gets sucked up by administration costs and various other associated costs and it's just another unjust thing for survivors to have to carry." Wiffin was also still waiting for an explanation as to why the recommendations of the Royal Commission of Inquiry were dismissed, he said. "It was fairly blunt in terms of dismissing the independent process, just dismissing it," Wiffin said. "I've had no reason why they have done that and I think we are owed that. So that it feels very disrespectful not to offer that explanation. Others may have had some indication, but certainly I haven't."
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
National's Erica Stanford clashes with Labour MPs over redress system for survivors abused in state care
Erica Stanford, left, and Jan Tinetti Photo: RNZ National Minister Erica Stanford's scrutiny hearing descended into a political slinging match between the minister and two Labour MPs as they clashed over the redress system for survivors abused in state care. Stanford, who in charge of the government's response, faced a grilling from Opposition MPs at Parliament on Wednesday over why an independent agency hadn't been set up to deliver on a recommendation from the Royal Commission and survivors, and why ministers considered limiting redress for gang members . Labour's Jan Tinetti told the committee a "key fundamental recommendation that survivors asked for" was an independent entity so that the state - the abuser - wasn't dealing with survivors directly as part of the redress. "The Crown had been the abuser and we are hearing daily, and we heard it today, the survivors are still feeling like the Crown is abusing them because their voice has been taken away," Tinetti said. Tinetti asked Stanford why the government didn't take that into account and commit to a new system . Stanford said "many people going through the system are very happy with the service they're getting, of course there are some people who are not". When advice was sought on a new independent agency she said she was told: "It may not be any better than we have now and I wasn't prepared to go through that huge cost, huge time, and huge complexity to maybe not have a better outcome". Erica Stanford Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone But Stanford noted an independent agency wasn't off the cards completely in the future. However, she went on to say, "it's bewildering to me that you have such an obsession with these large complex independent agencies when the experience of late has been, when we have set these up - like Te Pukenga" the outcomes have been worse. Tinetti was education minister under the previous government that oversaw Te Pukenga, which the coalition government is unwinding. "I'd also like to point out the redress report that was delivered was in 2021, the previous government had a very long time to act on that - it called for an independent agency back then," Stanford said. Jan Tinetti Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver That remark prompted Labour's Willow-Jean Prime to interject and say a working group was set-up to design it under the previous government. Tinetti then called a point of order to mount a defence. "I'd just like to remind that this is estimates looking forward and Chris Hipkins did apologise during his speech on the 12th of November in the House, and offered to work with the government on this. "We don't need to go backwards... We want to know what the minister is doing, we don't need to know what the previous government didn't do, we've already acknowledged we could have moved faster. We've already made that apology," she said. Speaking to the point of order, Stanford said she had been "directly challenged" and wanted to respond. A back and forth of jabs continued between Stanford, Prime, and Tinetti. "I know you don't like to hear this," the minister commented, which Prime responded to by saying, "you're disingenuous, let's be honest", while Tinetti muttered in the background "appalling, you are disappointing minister". The National and New Zealand First members of the committee sat in silence as the war of words played out. Earlier in the hearing, Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson raised questions about why advice had been sought on whether to limit redress for gang members. Ultimately, ministers chose to treat gangs the same as any other survivor, but create a new pathway for serious offenders. Stanford said she sought advice on a range of things. "Everyone has different opinions and ideas and views. We took everything into account, I sought advice on a range of different things - it doesn't necessarily mean I believed that thing or wanted that thing - but it's important as a lawmaker... when you take your job responsibly to look at every possible thing," she said. "I needed to make sure I had all of the evidence at hand." Davidson queried why she even needed to ask about limiting redress for gang members when it "sends a message that the real violence that happened is only validated for some people and not others". Stanford responded saying she went out of her way and "called gang members and invited them personally to the apology, into Parliament... that tells you everything you need to know about my beliefs". Without all the evidence though, Stanford said she would have exposed herself to being an "uninformed lawmaker".
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Abuse in care survivors in line for under a third of government's $774 package
Photo: 123RF Less than a third of the government's $774 million abuse in care redress package will end up in the pockets of survivors . Figures obtained by RNZ revealed only $205m was earmarked for paying new claims with $52m to go towards topping up previously closed claims. In defence of the figures, Erica Stanford, the Minister leading the government's abuse in care response, said redress payments were not the most important thing for some survivors and some of the $774m in this year's Budget was going towards changing the care system and providing other supports. However, $92m was for the civil servants who administered the redress funds and another $37m would pay for operating costs like premises and IT. For every two dollars going to survivors, more than a dollar would be spent on administration. Cooper Legal principal partner Sonja Cooper, whose firm had acted for hundreds of abuse survivors and victims, said it was a disgrace. LE] Sonja Cooper Photo: RNZ / Aaron Smale "We were really disappointed with the announcement in any event," Cooper said. "I think now when you break it down, it actually just gets worse. The more information that is received, the more cynical and disappointing what's been offered to survivors is. "I've been reflecting on this because obviously we've seen what other Commonwealth countries have done. We've seen what Australia has done, we've seen what Canada has done, we've seen what Ireland has done and we really are letting everyone down. This must be the worst redress scheme put in place by a government for survivors of abuse in care across the Commonwealth. "I just think that's a disgrace. New Zealand has no excuse for that." The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care had called for a new, independent and survivor-centric redress system. In announcing the $774m Budget package last month, the government also quashed any hope of establishing a new system, saying it would be costly and cause delays . But Cooper said the revelation so much of the government's package would be spent on administration had demonstrated why government officials should not have been trusted with the redress system in the first place. Officials were "taking so much away from the pockets of survivors, who deserve better than this", she said. "It's again, the system looking after itself. It's again, the system taking for itself and giving as little as it can to survivors, while the government continues to crow and pat itself on the back. "This is not a success. This is a failure, and it is a failure in so many ways. All of those who've been advocating for survivors, I've been doing it for 30 years now, I feel like we are back at the start. "This is not going to make survivors go away. It is a temporary fix and all I can hope is that at some stage we have another government that will actually do the right thing for survivors, because this is not." The Royal Commission investigated the cost of abuse in care and estimated it totalled between $96 billion and $217 billion - the vast majority of that was borne by survivors. The government's $289m of funding for financial redress and targeted supported represented just over 1.5 cents for every dollar of harm borne by survivors. In May following the announcement, Stanford called the $774m an investment into redress. "The announcement on Friday was significant," she told the House. "Let's start with that. More than three-quarters of a billion dollars - $774 million, as a pre-budget announcement; the single largest investment into redress in this country's history." Erica Stanford Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi Stanford was not available for an interview on Tuesday, but in a statement emphasised the funding was not only about redress. "To be clear, the $774 million investment in Budget 2025 was made to improve the redress system and [emphasis added by the Minister's office] improving the safety of children and vulnerable adults in care today. Many survivors have shared that their highest priority is for the system to change so what happened to them is prevented in the future," the statement said. "This includes important investments in initiatives like improving care workforce capability, improvements to safeguarding to reduce abuse and harm to children and young people in care, upgrades to mental health units to improve safety and dignity, more funding for oversight of compulsory mental health and addiction care, funding through the social investment model to fund effective initiatives that prevent entry into care, and upgrading systems to triage and respond to complaints. "It's important to note, that redress is about more than just monetary payments. The $485.5 million redress investment encompasses not only payments, but targeted supports, accessing records, being listened to and apologised to, funding for legal representation, and implementing improvements so that survivors have access to equitable redress regardless of which agency is administering it. That is what survivors have told us is important to them. While there are survivors who may be only interested in receiving financial redress, there are many others for who other aspects are just as important to them as a payment, if not more." The changes announced in this year's Budget would result in the average abuse in care claim payment rising from about $20,000 to about $30,000 - just over one month's salary for Minister Stanford. Keith Wiffin, a survivor who entered state care at 10 years old and sat on the Redress Design Group which provided a report to the government in late 2023, said survivors were grateful for the redress they received but it fell short of the promises the government had made. "Once again it's just not the investment required to bring about resolution and solution," he said. "Obviously, a lot of that money is not going to where it was originally indicated it would go to. It's just not going to bring about resolution - the investment required is more than that. "And I don't want to seem ungrateful because it's taxpayers' money and I am grateful for anything they put in. But it's just a small top up to an existing system which has fundamentally failed in the past." He was also outraged by how much of the funding would be spent on administration of redress. "It just highlights how unjust the whole thing is and how much how much of a misleading presentation by Erica Stanford and co, when they've clearly indicated that that money is to go to survivors," Wiffin said. "It's always the case with state sector redress programmes. There's so much of it gets sucked up by administration costs and various other associated costs and it's just another unjust thing for survivors to have to carry." Wiffin was also still waiting for an explanation as to why the recommendations of the Royal Commission of Inquiry were dismissed, he said. "It was fairly blunt in terms of dismissing the independent process, just dismissing it," Wiffin said. "I've had no reason why they have done that and I think we are owed that. So that it feels very disrespectful not to offer that explanation. Others may have had some indication, but certainly I haven't."
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Irish Times
Spiritans' promise of redress must be ‘substantiated by actions', says abuse survivors group
Redress proposals for abuse survivors by the Spiritan congregation, which runs Blackrock College and other leading schools in Ireland , 'urgently needs to be substantiated by actions', survivors' group Restore Together has said. It represents people who were sexually abused at Spiritan-run schools. Group spokesman Philip Feddis said 'urgent delivery of a victim-centred, non-adversarial redress scheme is critical'. Ongoing delays on the order's part are 'undermining the benefits of what has been delivered to date', he said. READ MORE His comments follow a public commitment by Spiritan Provincial Fr Brendan Carr to pay redress to survivors of abuse in the schools. By last November, 359 survivors of abuse at Spiritan schools had come forward, including the 347 disclosed in the scoping inquiry report on abuse at private fee-paying schools published last September. In an open letter on Monday to survivors of abuse by members and employees of the Spiritans , Fr Carr announced 'a restorative framework which we hope can help all to arrive at a different place in this painful and difficult journey'. This, he said, was prepared 'with the help of Restore Together, One Voice, and other significant advocates and individuals who were abused in our schools and other contexts, who have engaged directly with us'. Fr Carr said the Spiritans have established a 'finance advisory team, with the expertise to lead a strategic restructuring of the Province's assets'. It would 'fast-track the development of sustainable funding streams, including immediate and medium-term provisions for redress'. He hoped that by the end of this summer he could 'provide a further, more detailed update of the progress we are making in forging new paths to create a just redress scheme'. In response, Mr Feddis said 'victims/survivors will judge the statement based on actions and how soon they receive restorative justice in its entirety'. He stated that a redress scheme is the 'most urgent and important element'. Delivery of a full restorative justice programme by the Spiritans is 'already long overdue', Mr Feddis added. The order's 'ongoing delays' undermine what has been delivered to date – an apology and therapy – and 'diminishes the potential for restorative justice to have full effect for victims/ survivors', he said. Victims and survivors must have 'active decision-making input' in determining what is best for their healing, Mr Feddis said, adding that 'justice delayed is justice denied, and that is where we are at'. He said Restore Together will work intensively with the Spiritans to address how the three inactivated elements of the programme can be 'enabled as soon as humanly possible'.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Plans for mother and baby home victims and survivors deemed ‘kick in the teeth'
Proposals for victims and survivors of mother and baby institutions, Magdalene Laundries and workhouses have been described as a 'kick in the teeth'. Concern has been expressed that 'huge swathes' of potential applicants to a long awaited redress scheme are set to be excluded. More than 14,000 women and girls are thought to have passed through the institutions, with many found to have been mistreated, held against their will and forced to give up children for adoption. They were run by the Catholic Church, religious orders, some Protestant denominations as well as the State, with some in operation until 1995. First Minister Michelle O'Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly on Monday introduced legislation to establish an inquiry into the institutions and an associated redress scheme. Ms O'Neill said they hope the legislation 'demonstrates our sincere commitment to respecting and fulfilling the wishes of those who for many decades have suffered and been silenced'. The Executive Bill is to establish a statutory public inquiry and a statutory redress scheme at an estimated cost of £80 million, which includes almost £60 million in initial redress payments to cover about 6,600 claims. Each eligible claimant is to receive a payment of £10,000, and a £2,000 payment will be made to each eligible family member on behalf of a loved one who has died since September 29, 2011. A further Individually Assessed Payment (IAP) for the specific harm suffered by an individual is to follow the public inquiry. The ministers also met with survivors of the institutions on Monday. However some who attended the meeting expressed concern over those who are excluded by the proposals. The legal firm KRW Law, which represents many of the victims and survivors, described 'huge disquiet over the prospective exclusion of many survivors'. They said the cut-off for posthumous claims for deceased birth mothers and children of 2011 'cuts out a huge swathe of prospective applicants', while victims of work houses appear to be excluded, and the 'blanket removal' of foster care home survivors. There is also concern around the limit on the sum proposed by way of interim payment with no allowance for inflation. Solicitor Aine Rice, of KRW's historic abuse team, said they reject the current proposals as 'unfit for purpose'. She said: 'So much work has been put in by many people to get to this stage only for it to be undone in one fell swoop. 'There's an insensitivity underpinning all of this which makes it galling. 'We reject the current proposals as unfit for purpose. More, much more, needs done to address the imbalance in play here. We need to see a complete U-turn by the time we reach the next stage of the Bill, but time is running out fast. 'We are told that many are thinking of leaving the consultation forum and threatening protest.' Institution survivor Marie Arbuckle said the latest proposals are a 'kick in the teeth for many survivors'. She added: 'It seems to me that the Government hasn't listened to us properly at all. 'Why do a consultation in the first place if the wishes and hopes of survivors aren't taken on board? 'I don't think lessons have been learned from what happened in the south of Ireland. 'The understandable drive to save money has simply gone too far, and all at the expense of the wishes of victims. 'We have lost all confidence in the process we worked so hard on for the last three years.'
