The Deputy Secretary, Service Delivery Reform, Coordination and Workplace Safety recently wrote to us, that the Victorian Government Annual Reports on implementation of recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Reponses to Child Sexual Abuse are "consistent with the format of annual reports published by other states and territories." We disagree, as did the Director, NDIS and Commonwealth Royal Commissions at the Victorian Department of Justice and Community Safety we later spoke to, who admitted her department were unaware of what their counterparts in Queensland make public.

Queensland publish the number of recommendations still in progress, and those that have been completed, and although we were told the department would raise this with the Victorian government to consider, this would not happen in 2022 as it is an election year. And even if the Victorian government did agree to publish this information, it would not be until sometime in 2023.

So on behalf of all Victorian survivors, their families and communities, we have made another complaint to the Victorian Ombudsman after our last conversation with their office about what they could investigate.

The summary of our complaint

"For the many Victorian survivors, and families of deceased victims who made submissions to The Royal Commission, the Recommendations in the Final Report of the Royal Commission provided so much hope for positive change. It also provided hope for those many Victorian survivors whom are yet to disclose their abuse, that doing so would make a difference, from justice, redress, healing and support perspectives.

We know from countless media reports that justice and redress schemes have failed many survivors, and research tells us that professional help seeking by adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse remain alarmingly low.

The Government's Annual Reports do not reflect these realities, that many recommendations have not been implemented, or implemented effectively. The Government's Annual Reports are vague; a lot of words and statements without any qualifications, such as quantitative information on percentage complete, or service effectiveness qualitative and quantitative data, or actual money spent against what was budgeted.

The impact of The Royal Commission recommendations, if implemented effectively, are profound for so many Victorians. Saving lives, and reducing the pain and suffering for many Victorians, their families, and communities. The Victorian Government's reporting on progress made is unacceptable, given the magnitude of the positive financial, health and living conditions impacts implementation of these recommendations will achieve.

We have requested that the Victorian State Government update their document: Table of the full Victorian Government Responses to The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, with:

• information on the overall status progress made, 293 recommendations the Victorian Government accepted or accepted in principal, including information on outcomes / evaluation.
• information on overall progress made - In progress or Complete - on the 24 recommendations where further analysis is required for the Government to determine its approach
• information on specific progress made - In progress or Complete - on individual recommendations which are identified by their Recommendation Reference Number, and accompanied by information on outcomes achieved / evaluation.

The Director, NDIS and Commonwealth Royal Commissions, Department of Justice and Community Safety, advised us that even if the Government agreed to make the information available, that there would be no changes made this year, as it is an election year, which we find is unacceptable. As surely the Government is tracking the progress of the recommendations it has implemented, and knows those recommendations it has not yet implemented."

We are 12,764 Petitioners strong, and LOUD!

Thank you to every one of you, for your support.