The former Anglican archbishop of Perth, Roger Herft, is facing an internal church investigation following complaints about his conduct when he was bishop of Newcastle.
The church's episcopal standards commission (ESC) has confirmed it is investigating complaints made about the former archbishop following his appearance before the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in 2016.
Reverend Herft resigned from his position in 2016 after admitting he let down survivors of child sexual abuse in Newcastle between 1993 and 2005.
It is understood the investigation could ultimately lead to the former archbishop being stripped of any right to officiate as a priest.
"Complaints about the conduct of bishop Roger Herft when he was bishop of Newcastle are being investigated by the episcopal standards commission, the Anglican authority for dealing with allegations about bishops," the ESC said in a statement.
"The conduct of bishop Herft and other Newcastle bishops and leaders was examined by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in case study 42, published in November 2017.
"The episcopal standards commission is investigating the many issues which arise from the information it has received," the statement said.
"It will determine its course of action as soon as it can.
"The episcopal standards commission is putting this investigation on the public record in line with its constitutional protocols, but those protocols strictly limit the information it can release before any finding is made."
