Vic abuse victim medical bills still paid
A Catholic Church counselling service for victims of pedophile priests has never stopped paying victims' treatment bills, the Melbourne service's co-ordinator says.
The Melbourne archdiocese's Carelink counselling service is still supporting the first two victims who came through its doors in 1996, Carelink co-ordinator Susan Sharkey told the child abuse royal commission.
She said she had never been told to stop paying victims' bills.
"I'm asked at the end of the year to provide a budget, but it's quite impossible to indicate whether or not that's going to be enough because we have no idea how many victims are going to come forward or how many are going to return," Ms Sharkey told the commission on Monday.
Carelink was set up to provide counselling as part of the Melbourne Response, the scheme set up in 1996 to handle allegations of clergy sexual abuse in the Melbourne archdiocese.
Ms Sharkey said Carelink had about 200 active clients at any one time.
The commission was told about 600 people have received counselling through Carelink, with 350 of them categorised as primary sex abuse victims of priests and other church workers.
An average of $18,000 has been spent on each person who received counselling, with $6000 of that going on Carelink's administration costs.
