We reached out to Professor Leah Bromfield earlier this week, to assist with our advocacy urging the Victorian government to ensure it provides a best practice and evidence based truth telling process. As part of their implementation of the Beaumaris Board of Inquiry Recommendation 3: A statewide truth-telling and accountability process. That takes on board the learnings from previous truth telling processes in Australia.
We are so grateful that Professor Bromfield responded so quickly to our request. Directing us to a relevant research paper on the practices of the Royal Commission into Institution Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Which we then shared with the Victorian Department of Education, in addition to Royal Commission's own report on private sessions.
Of huge concern is that no-one from the Victorian Government or the Department of Education had consulted Professor Bromfield, prior to making decisions on what adequate time is needed. To ensure they have the right leadership, resources, expertise and processes in place, supporting the Department of Education truth telling.
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"Professor Bromfield is a child protection expert, and the 2025 SA Australian of the Year, in recognition of devoting her life to establishing practical, evidence-based solutions to child abuse and neglect – important but challenging work.
https://australianoftheyear.org.au/recipients/professor-leah-bromfield
Currently the director and chair of child protection at the Australian Centre for Child Protection, Leah developed the first evidence-based analysis of child protection practice frameworks. She informed improvements including the development of a new framework in South Australia and was on the team which advocated for – and got – the first National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children in 2007.
Professor Bromfield is one of Australia’s foremost child protection experts, who has worked nationally and internationally with government and non-government organisations in establishing and implementing child protection reforms.
Prof Bromfield’s prominent work leading and supporting government reform and significant contributions to Inquiries and Royal Commissions has directly changed laws, policies and practices in the field of child protection. Her roles and appointments include as a Commissioner in the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s responses to child sexual abuse in institutional settings, and Professorial Fellow to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, established by the Australian government, leading its extensive research program."
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Professor Bromfield is one of the researchers currently working on relevant research to the Victorian Government's truth telling processes, for victim/survivors of historic abuse in government schools. "Understanding the experiences of child sexual abuse disclosure in Australia in the wake of the Royal Commission"
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We will continue to ask the Victorian government, what relevant research, evidence, experience, knowledge and recommendations, are informing their their decisions. Regarding the 'who', 'how', 'what' and 'when', of the Department of Education's truth telling process.