Please be aware this update contains material that could be confronting or distressing. Sometimes words or images can cause sadness or distress or trigger traumatic memories, particularly for people who have experienced past abuse or childhood trauma.

Support is available to help you if you need it. To find out more, visit the Redress Support Services page on our website.

If you need immediate support, 24-hour telephone assistance is available. 

Parliamentary Apology to victims and survivors who experienced child sexual abuse in Victorian government schools

On Thursday 30 July 2026, the Premier of Victoria will make a formal apology to victims and survivors of child sexual abuse in Victorian government schools. The Premier will acknowledge the harm experienced by victims and survivors, their families, loved ones, supporters and affected school communities. They will also recognise the failures that allowed abuse to occur, and the lasting impacts this has had on many people, families, loved ones and communities.

The apology will be on Thursday 30 July 2026 at 11.30am and will be livestreamed on the Victorian Parliament website - Parliamentary activity webpage(Opens in a new tab/window). 

On the day, public apology events will be held across Victoria. The events will include a livestream of the apology from Victorian Parliament and refreshments. Victim-survivors, families, loved ones, supporters, advocates and affected community are invited to attend a public apology event.

Public apology events will be held in:

  • Melbourne CBD 
  • Wodonga 
  • Horsham 
  • Morwell 
  • Ballarat.

For more details about the events and Parliamentary Apology, please see the Parliamentary Apology to victims and survivors of child sexual abuse in Victorian government schools webpage (Opens in a new tab/window)on the Victorian Government website.

Eighth Anniversary Review of the National Redress Scheme is now open for feedback

Feedback to the Eighth Anniversary Review of the National Redress Scheme (the Review) is open from 1 to 31 July 2026. 

The Review is an important opportunity to understand how the Scheme has worked in practice, and what it needs as it approaches its final stage. 

People who submit feedback will not be asked to share their personal experiences of abuse. The Review is focused on the Scheme and how it can be brought to a safe and respectful close. 

Anyone can share their experiences and views of the Scheme as part of the Review. This includes what has worked well, what was challenging, and any ideas on what may need to be improved. 

The Review is seeking feedback from:

  • people who have applied
  • people who have chosen not to apply or have withdrawn their application
  • people who supported someone through the application process
  • Redress Support Services
  • advocacy organisations
  • institutions.

The review is being led by Mr Michael Manthorpe PSM, as independent reviewer. His role is to assess all feedback and provide recommendations to government. 

Feedback on the National Redress Scheme can be provided by uploading a written submission on DSS Engage(Opens in a new tab/window) or by completing the online form. A written submission lets you share your views in your own words, while the online form provides guided questions.

For more information about the review, you can visit the feedback page on DSS Engage(Opens in a new tab/window). 

If you want support to give us your feedback, Redress Support Services can provide free and confidential support. If you would like to understand more about the National Redress Scheme, you can explore the National Redress Scheme website.

Redress Support Service Spotlight: South Australian Council on Intellectual Disability 

Are you a person with intellectual disability who is thinking about applying to the National Redress Scheme, or are you supporting someone who is?

The South Australian Council on Intellectual Disability (SACID) provides free and confidential support to people with intellectual disability to engage with the National Redress Scheme. SACID helps people understand information about the Scheme, make informed decisions, navigate the application process, and connect with the supports and services they may need.

SACID provides support before, during and after a person's redress journey. This includes helping people understand outcomes and access ongoing support. Information can also be provided in accessible formats, including Easy Read.

SACID is based in Adelaide, with outreach services available in Mount Gambier and Port Augusta. Support may also be available in surrounding areas, including Whyalla, where possible.

SACID's contact details

Phone: (08) 8352 4416
Email: rss@sacid.org.au
Website: https://sacid.org.au/(Opens in a new tab/window) 

Operating hours: 8.30 am to 4.30 pm, Monday to Friday

Survivors can choose a Redress Support Service that best suits their needs. If SACID is not the right fit, a list of Redress Support Services is available on our website.

Scheme data

As at 30 June 2026 there have been 82,381 applications to the Scheme: 

  • 29,478 applicants have had their outcomes advised. Of these 23,214 payments have been made totalling approximately $2.06 billion dollars 
  • 5,541 have been withdrawn or closed 
  • 47,362 applications are yet to have their outcome advised. Of which:
    • 30,726 applications are actionable by the Scheme.
      • 9,010 applications are being validated with the initial contact being made 
      • 14,631 applications are in the information gathering stage 
      • 6,552 applications are with an IDM for determination 
      • 533 applications are being prepared for delivery of the outcome 
    • 9,718 applications are unable to be actioned by the Scheme. Of these:
      • 7,572 are awaiting the applicant to provide additional information
      • 2,146 are undergoing special assessment for serious criminal conviction
    • 6,918 applications are on hold 
  • over the last six months the Scheme has received an average of 1,587 per month 
  • over the last six months 319 reviews have been requested and 144 have been completed, of those completed 36.1% resulted in an increase in redress payment.
Financial year18-1919-2020-2121-2222-2323-2424-2525-26
Average applications received per month3572623164998941,3601,6441,534
  • There were an average of 357 applications received per month in FY18-19, 262 per month in FY19-20, 316 per month in FY20-21, 499 per month in FY21-22, 894 per month in FY22-23, 1,360 per month in FY23-24, 1,644 per month in FY24-25, and 1,534 per month in FY25-26. 

For the month of June: 

  • 918 applications have been resolved
  • 33.5% of survivors have identified as a First Nations person
  • 31.8% of survivors have indicated they are living with a disability
  • 33.5% of survivors are Care Leavers*
  • 59.7% of survivors accepted a Direct Personal Response (DPR) as part of their redress offer
  • 12 survivors completed a DPR with 18 institutions
  • 8 survivors made contact with 10 institutions to begin the DPR process.

*Care leavers are defined as applicants who indicated any of the following on their application: they were a foster child, in relative kinship, court-ordered care or a child migrant. 

Note: Counts provided will slightly differ from previous versions as closed cases are now included. Closed cases include applications that are not eligible to apply to the Scheme.

Participating institutions update

The National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse Declaration 2018 (the Declaration) is an official list of all participating institutions. It is updated when new institutions join the Scheme as either fully-participating, partly-participating or defunct institutions, or the status of a participating institution changes. The Declaration is available on the Federal Register of Legislation(Opens in a new tab/window).

No updates were made to the Declaration in the month of June 2026. As at 30 June 2026, there are 718 fully-participating institutions, 185 defunct institutions and 35 partly-participating institutions declared as participating in the Scheme.

For the latest information about institutions, visit the Institutions page on our website. If you have concerns about an institution’s participation status with the National Redress Scheme, please contact the National Redress Scheme on 1800 737 377 to speak to someone about your application.

In the month of June, a further 15 institutions have been publicly disclosed as not participating in the Scheme. You can read a list of these institutions in the June update, or read the full list of institutions that have not joined on our website. 

The Australian Government acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, water, culture and community. We pay our respects to the Elders both past and present.

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