Australian Government Contractors Will Now Go to Jail for Reporting Child Abuse

[Inculcated]

Australian Government Contractors Will Now Go to Jail for Reporting Child Abuse in Detention Centers June 26, 2015 by Lauren Gillin

https://www.vice.com/en_au/read/australian-government-contractors-will-now-go-to-jail-for-reporting-detention-centre-child-abuse

Excerpt:

Greg Barnes is a barrister and national president of the Australian Lawyers Alliance. He told VICE that the legislation prevents someone's ethical and moral duty to report abuse.

"It's ironic at the same time we have a royal commission into institutionalized sexual abuse we have a government supported by the Labor party, which is deliberately setting about to prevent disclosure of serious criminal abuse," he said.

Mr. Barnes says the law is aimed at anyone having anything to do with asylum seekers in any setting.

"If someone disclosed information that the Australian Navy or customs pushed a boat back out into dangerous waters—and people drowned because of it—they could go to jail."

He says he has "no doubt" there would be legal challenges to the legislation as "most judges and the courts generally would be horrified by legislation that allows for the cover up of physical and mental abuse."