“A national scheme provides the best possible chance for justice for survivors and is the recommendation of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

“Clearly ongoing commitments will be required by institutions and all governments.

“Our Church stands ready to play its part.

“The Uniting Church in Australia strongly supports this initial commitment by Labor, and we sincerely hope the Turnbull Government will show similar leadership on this issue. “For our part the Uniting Church will continue our work to make amends for the wrongs in our past.

“In consultation with any survivors of sexual abuse in our care, we will seek to make amends for what happened and identify how we can best offer support into the future.

“We will also continue to apply the lessons learned from the Royal Commission to improve our practices and processes to make our Church the safest place for children it can possibly be,” said Mr McMillan.