The Australian Government has announced a significant improvement to the National Redress Scheme, aimed at supporting survivors of institutional child sexual abuse. From January 1, 2025, redress payments will be excluded from the residential aged care means test, ensuring that survivors are not financially disadvantaged when accessing aged care services.
Under this new policy, a survivor’s redress payment will be exempt from means testing and will not be considered an asset for the residential aged care subsidy. The exemption will be implemented through data matching, allowing survivors to maintain their privacy without having to disclose their abuse history again if they choose not to do so.
“The National Redress Scheme is in place to provide best possible outcomes for survivors of institutional child sexual abuse, including removing unintended adverse impacts of any payment they receive as part of redress”.
Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth
This improvement follows the recent passing of the National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse Amendment Act 2024, which implemented several key changes to the scheme, including:
• Allowing applicants to provide additional information when requesting a review of a finalised application
• Reducing the circumstances where applications from those with serious criminal convictions require special assessment
• Removing restrictions on incarcerated survivors’ lodging applications
• Enabling reassessment of finalised applications if a relevant institution later joins the Scheme
The announcement coincides with National Survivor Day, recognising the courage and journeys of survivors of sexual assault and institutional abuse across Australia. Minister Rishworth emphasised the government’s commitment to placing survivors at the forefront of all Scheme improvements and changes.
