The child sexual abuse victim at the centre of former governor general Peter Hollingworth’s resignation for failing to act on complaints said he should be remembered as a “sad example” of a man who was bestowed honours while protecting abusers.
Following Hollingworth’s death on Tuesday, advocates against child abuse have called for stronger national protections for children, saying there is still a long way to go.
Hollingworth’s legacy is controversial, with many conservative pundits, including former prime minister John Howard and the current opposition leader, Angus Taylor, celebrating his commitment to eradicating child poverty and his strong Anglican faith.
But survivor Beth Heinrich – who waged a high-profile, decades-long campaign for justice over her treatment, both by her abuser, the Anglican priest Donald Shearman, and the handling of her case by Hollingworth, then the Brisbane archbishop – said he does not deserve the honours.
“The man himself, he’s a sad example of a priest who was given awards and honours he did not deserve and he never learned,” she told Guardian Australia.
In March, Heinrich finally received an apology from the pulpit, with Queensland Archbishop Jeremy Greaves acknowledging “the failures made by former Archbishop Peter Hollingworth in the handling of her abuser, deposed bishop Donald Shearman, who is now deceased” in a public service.
Hollingworth was previously found to have failed to act to remove Shearman from the church, despite becoming aware of his abuse. While he was governor general, Hollingworth appeared on ABC television in 2002 and suggested that Heinrich, 14, had instigated a sexual relationship with Shearman, a married priest.
“Despite having 25 years of experience at Brotherhood of St Laurence, he was a fully trained counsellor,” Heinrich said on Wednesday. “He was a priest, he was a father of girls, but he chose to go on national television and vilify me and victim-blame a child.
“I’ve had the satisfaction of him being disgraced in his former cathedral.”
Sign up for the Breaking News Australia emailChild protection expert and University of South Australia adjunct professor Chris Goddard said Hollingworth’s comments on the ABC were “just the most extraordinary public accusation and humiliation”.
“He actually said he didn’t think it was child abuse, it was the other way around,” Goddard said. “He further victimised the victim and rewarded the perpetrators. He abused Beth on national television.”
Goddard helped Heinrich prepare her testimony to the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse, with hundreds of pages of evidence.
In the wake of Hollingworth’s death, Goddard said there needed to be a national approach to child abuse, and that despite the royal commission, the system was still confusing, and reporting was difficult.
“We not only need a national approach, we not only need a transparent national system, but we also need the states to have consistent legislation and [departments] … Imagine that an ambulance service had a different name in every state.”
In 2023, the Anglican church’s professional standards board also found Hollingworth committed misconduct by allowing two priests he knew had sexually abused children to remain in the church.
Hollingworth accepted the investigation’s findings and apologised, saying he “made mistakes and I cannot undo them” but had committed no crimes.
Cathy Kezelman, the president of the Blue Knot Foundation, which is the National Centre of Excellence for Complex Trauma, said Hollingworth would be remembered by survivors for being “associated with a real lack of response by the Anglican church, particularly in a situation in which he had awareness of priests who’d actually perpetrated child sexual abuse and failed to act”.
Kezelman said his death acted as a reminder that 10 years after the royal commission, there was “still a long way to go”.
“We’re still struggling to get consistency around, you know, the various different state legislations … I think the response for survivors in terms of services has still got a very fragmented service system that’s hard to navigate, that’s inaccessible to a lot of people, both geographically and financially.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for Hollingworth’s family said they ask for a “fair and respectful” account of his life.
“We have been deeply comforted by the overwhelming messages of support and by the recognition of Dad’s significant impact and contribution over a lifetime of work,” the spokesperson said.
“Over many years, Dad reflected deeply on the decisions made during his time as Archbishop of Brisbane. As he acknowledged, ‘I’ve lived with my failures every day since.’ He also offered multiple apologies.
“As the former Prime Minister John Howard said today, ‘As someone who abhorred the sexual abuse of anyone – particularly children – in the Church or elsewhere, he addressed these issues in a candid manner, acknowledging his own failings.’”
-
In Australia, children, young adults, parents and teachers can contact the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or Bravehearts on 1800 272 831, and adult survivors can contact Blue Knot Foundation on 1300 657 380. Other sources of help can be found at Child Helplines International
