Allegations of “evil and vile” historical child sexual abuse at a Victorian state school in the 1960s and 1970s will be investigated by a special inquiry that will hear the testimonies of victim-survivors.
The premier, Daniel Andrews, announced the board of inquiry on Wednesday morning and pledged to deliver a formal apology to recognise abuse victim-survivors who attended Beaumaris primary school, in Melbourne’s south-east.
The apology will be separate to a wider apology the government is due to deliver later this year that will recognise historical child abuse in institutional care settings like orphanages.
Glen Fearnett, who has fought for government recognition of abuse he and others suffered from paedophile teachers, said he wanted to represent victims who had died before the inquiry was announced.
“Their families are missing loved ones because of events that took place in their childhood,” he said.
Fearnett said he hoped the inquiry and apology would help the public understand the prevalence of child sexual abuse.
“No one wants to talk about it. No one wants to listen to it. It’s uncomfortable,” he said.
Tim Courtenay, a survivor of alleged abuse at the school, said the inquiry was a “milestone” in the lives of all people affected.
The inquiry will be chaired by the Victorian law reform commissioner Kathleen Foley. Guardian Australia revealed in January that in the wake of George Pell’s death, survivors of abuse at Beaumaris primary school in the 1970s were pushing for a formal apology by the state government.
Andrews said there were a number of “vile, evil and incredibly damaging” cases of child sexual abuse at the school.
“School should be a place of love and care and support [and] learning. It should be a community that is safe. Beaumaris primary school most certainly was not during the 60s and 70s,” he said.
Andrews said the government was aware of at least three former staff members of the school who had allegedly engaged in “predatory behaviour,” making the school a “unique case” which deserved a separate apology to that planned for other victim-survivors of abuse in institutional settings like orphanages and missions. He said the inquiry’s scope could be widened to include allegations at other schools if evidence was uncovered.
Andrews also said the government needed to overhaul the way some departments dealt with civil cases, and the resistance to settlements. He said he regretted how some departments and agencies had acted and said work was under way to ensure they were adhering to the best practice model.
Lawyer John Rule from Maurice Blackburn, who is handling several cases against the department on behalf of alleged Beaumaris victims, previously told Guardian Australia the education department had developed a reputation for being “aggressive” in defending claims.
Rule on Wednesday said he welcomed the government’s commitment to act on complaints about tactics used by the education department.
The premier said it was vital to hear and believe victim-survivors, and acknowledged the bravery of the former Beaumaris students who had come forward to detail their allegations.
“Having your truth recorded forever is a very important thing,” he told reporters.
The state’s shadow treasurer, Brad Rowswell, whose electorate of Sandringham takes in Beaumaris, had been pushing for a state-wide parliamentary inquiry into the allegations of abuse in public schools. But Andrews said “the last thing we need is more politicians involved in this”.
Rowswell on Wednesday said allowing victim-survivors from Beaumaris to have their voices heard without offering the same opportunity to others was “not right.”
The government committed $4.5m for the inquiry and for a support system to be established for victim-survivors and their families. The inquiry is due to report to the government by the end of February.
