Candid comments ….

The Anglican Church has “defrocked” convicted pedophile priest Robert Francis Sharwood more than 30 years after he sexually assaulted a boy in Brisbane.
“Defrocking: means he has been deposed from his holy orders. Sharwood was released from prison last November after serving 12 months for molesting the 13-year-old.He told the church's professional standards board last March he hoped the church "would acknowledge that a dark period of my life was officially dealt with by the church authorities 32 years ago" and that he had reformed. When the board recommended he be defrocked, he requested a further review.Brisbane Bishop John Parkes, acting for Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane Phillip Aspinall, said he had formally accepted the recommendation of the Church’s Professional Standards Board board following a hearing and independent review. Archbishop Aspinall removed Mr Sharwood’s licence to operate as a priest in the diocese in 2002. However he has remained an ordained Minister until now

One priest still serving, knew of Sharwood's crimes in 1976. He provided a character reference for Sharwood in 2006. Others also knew. Not one spoke to the victim to offer help or support.

Dr Gary Schoener, US-based psychologist writing in The Sydney Daily Telegraph Over the years I have dealt with around 2000 victims of child sex abuse involving clergy. I've assisted people in bringing complaints about all manner of religious organisations and groups - from Catholic dioceses to Anglican, Jewish organisations and Lutheran Synods.
You don't need to be a psychologist to say: "My God, something bad happened here to this individual." They lose basic trust in others and have difficulty forming relationships later in life. They have low self esteem and insecurity issues, they are depressed and have suicidal thoughts or suicide attempts.
They often question their sexual identity or develop sexual impulse control disorders of their own. They take to drug and alcohol abuse and become addicts as a way of dealing with their inner turmoil. The vast majority lose faith in religion or society in general.
Another thing we also see, though, is people have lost their family. Their parents might be devout followers of the church and they don't dare tell them. Or in cases where they have been brave enough to tell them, the parents have not been able to rise to the occasion and don't believe the child.

Welcome for the Olympics Team: Prime Mininster Rudd was at the doorway of the Qantas 747 which brought our team home – on behalf of all Australians he was the first to give bemedalled Stephanie Rice a kiss on the cheek. How much better it would have been if Kevin has stood aside for – and alongside – our highly respected and soon-to-retire Governor-General Major-General Michael Jeffery. Let’s get it clear – the Governor General is Head of State, the Prime Minister is Head of Government.
During Howard’s time, Jeffery was frozen out of so many public occasions, particularly the sending of soldiers to the Middle East or welcoming them home. This demeaning of his office made Jeffery very angry. I thought Rudd would have known better – especially as the Olympics Welcome Home would have been among the G-G’s last official functons before handing over to Quentin Bryce.

Stars of the ABC’s Brisbane newsroom: Last week I wrote about the talented reporters trained by and moved on from the newsroom of Toowoomba’s Chronicle newspaper. The ABC’s Brisbane newroom bosts a star-studded list of achievers we should all be proud of -- Lisa Miller, who was anchor for the Olympics; Kim Landers, now the ABC’s excellent Washinton corresponcent; Kirrin McKechnie, now in the Canberra Bureau who was Stateline anchor; and above all for me is gentle, tough, persistent Emma Griffiths, now NSW political roundsman, who served a truly brilliant couple of years as Moscow correspondent, one of the toughest assignments in the book. The Brisbane newsroom is a magnificent training ground. And now an up-and-comer is Jessica van Vonderen, sometimes newsreader, sometime Stateline anchor, and generally a top reporter.

Media industry in crisis – Revealing ABC 7.30 report: Kerry O’Brien interviews investigative journalist and author Nick Davies about his new book ”Flat Earth News.” Davies argues that journalistic standards are declining the world over as cost cutting and government pressures take toll on the industry. Go to http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2008/s2348362.htm

Naming the Paedophiles campaigns: Distaste and horror at crimes of child abuse and sexual abuse run deep in our society. Pressure is being exerted on the State Government to make public a Paedophile Register so all parents can be alert to where they live. Government is hesitant. But some newspapers are not. Media paedophile campaigns attract both public support and distaste. “Once a paedophile always a paedophile” is the hard and unforgiving accusation but this denies any man’s determination to reform his life after having been arrested, tried in court, imprisoned, paroled or released..

Is the media at times on thin ice in terms of Contempt of Court, harassment and even exciting and/or inciting public violence? Stuart Copeland, Shadow Attorney General and MP for Cunningham ventures this opinion:

“In terms of media reporting the addresses of paedophiles, media is within its rights to report the details, only if they have been advised of those details by a member of the public, who is under no instruction from authorities to keep those details private.

It would be illegal if a media outlet published details after it had found out the details in court proceedings and been told by that court directly that they were not to be made public.

It would also be illegal to report that kind of information if, for example, a neighbour of a paedophile communicated to media the details after they were told by police the convicted history of the person living next door, and given instructions by authorities that that information was not to be made public. If that person went to the media and reported the address and in turn the media published the address, then the media would be liable for charges.

But because media may claim they were told by a member of the public, who was under NO instruction to keep a paedophile’s details private, they have not done anything illegal.’

The opinion of the Attorney-General, Mr Shine, the State of Queensland’s top law officer, is also welcome – this newsletter offers to print it in full as an essential public service.