In a legal challenge to the scope of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into abuse in care, lawyers for the Jehovah’s Witnesses argued that the faith should be excluded from the inquiry.
However, a lawyer for the Attorney-General pointed out that the Royal Commission had received complaints about Jehovah’s Witnesses, which the survivors had initially wanted to keep confidential.
The Royal Commission aims to reveal its draft findings by the end of the month to allow participants to respond. The inquiry has named eight faiths under investigation, and the Jehovah’s Witnesses' concerns about their inclusion could have implications for other faiths. The central issue revolves around whether faith-based institutions can be responsible for individuals through informal pastoral care relationships, a point the Jehovah’s Witnesses contested.
The Attorney-General's lawyer argued that there was evidence of abuse within the faith, and their influence and control over congregants gave them access to children. The inquiry originally focused on abuse in state institutions.
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