Released on Friday, the Moss Report into allegations of fabricated sexual abuse claims perpetrated by Save the Children employees on Nauru could not find any evidence to substantiate the claims made against 10 members of the charity’s staff.
The report, which was undertaken by former Integrity Officer Phillip Moss, was commissioned by the government with the purpose of investigating claims that 10 staff from Save the Children had encouraged asylum seekers on Nauru to self-harm or give false accounts of abuse. Released on Friday, the recommendation of the report was that the government review its decision to remove the charity’s staff from Nauru.
Having been advised of such allegations in October, then Minister for Immigration, Scott Morrison, said, “the public don’t want to be played for mugs with allegations of sexual abuse being used as some kind of political tactic”. When asked on Sunday whether he would concede that the government had got it wrong, Mr Morrison replied, “It was my action, on seeing all of those allegations, not to draw any conclusions on them at all, as I said at the time, and to refer them off to an independent review,” Mr Morrison said.
“So I’m pleased the independent review has been taken that the Government has received it and the Government has responded to all of the recommendations in a positive way.”
However, when pushed on the specific allegations against the Save the Children workers, Mr Morrison said, “I made no allegations, I referred allegations for a proper inquiry”.
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the government and Scott Morrison needed to apologise, “He should apologise and the Abbott Government needs to explain how they will make it up to the employees who were treated so badly,” Senator Hanson-Young said.
“The Abbott Government’s eagerness to shoot the messenger meant that, in this case, they shot first and asked questions later.
“Scott Morrison wants to wash his hands of this like he washed his hands of the assaults that were being carried out against women and children on Nauru.”
The allegations listed in the review and heard by Philip Moss included, rape, sexual assault, guards trading marijuana for sexual favours and the sexual abuse of minors. Mr Moss raised the concern that assault cases were likely to go unreported, as detainees feared it would go against them when their refugee status was decided.
Mr Moss made 19 recommendations, many of which call for better training of staff and Nauru police and officials, while others focus on child protection. The Abbott Government says it will implement all recommendations.
Read more at ABC.net.au
Opinion: Why is sorry so difficult?
While the language used at the time to shoot down the allegations of abuse on Nauru was unnecessarily spiteful and disrespectful to those workers who toil tirelessly to help those less fortunate, the subsequent actions of the government were correct. The Moss review was carried out swiftly and concisely and although the findings did not support the report of false allegations, it is planned that the recommendations in the report will be adopted and implemented.
Why then, did the government chose to undo its good work by firstly burying the release of the report on a Friday afternoon, the day on which one of the greatest Liberal Prime Ministers, Malcolm Fraser, died? And secondly, after the current Minister for Immigration, Peter Dutton, conceded that the findings were “concerning”, did his predecessor Scott Morrison take the moral high ground and refuse to apologise for getting it so spectacularly wrong?
The findings of the report and the response to its release are a blight on the government’s moral compass. Not only do we as a nation continue to shirk our humanitarian responsibilities to those being held in detention centres, but also now it seems that those who try their best to help can be called liars without question.
No government can get it right 100 per cent of the time, so when it goes wrong, it should at least have the gumption to not only admit its failings, but to utter the word ‘Sorry’ – it’s really not that difficult. For the last five months, 10 individuals, and the charity for which they work, have had their moral fibre questioned. ‘Sorry’ is the least they can expect.
I wasn’t fortunate enough to be in Australia during Malcolm Fraser’s time in office, but reading the many obituaries published over the weekend, I can see he was a leader who any political party would be proud to call their own. I wonder how many generations in the future will say the same of Mr Abbott?
Do you think a simple sorry is beyond the government? Is the timing of the release of the report suspect? Or have the government done the right thing by agreeing to action the recommendations?
