You're reading 1 of 44 findings I've published. Every dollar here came out of your taxes. · Help me hold them accountable — share it.
← All Findings
governance Attorney-General's Department
$500.0M

AGD delayed child sexual abuse survivor services for 5 years after Royal Commission

An ANAO audit found the Attorney-General's Department failed to deliver specialist services for survivors of child sexual abuse for five years after the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse made its recommendations. Thousands of survivors were denied access to trauma counselling and legal support. AGD had no implementation timeline and accountability mechanisms were absent.

Department: Attorney-General's Department
✉ Take action
Email your federal MP

Enter your postcode. We'll find your MP and pre-draft a letter about Attorney-General's Department's $500.0M in waste — ready to send from your email.

Your name (optional):

Opens your email app with a pre-filled message. You send it — we don't collect your name or email.

What This Means

$500.0M of Australian taxpayer money was wasted at Attorney-General's Department. An ANAO audit found the Attorney-General's Department failed to deliver specialist services for survivors of child sexual abuse for five years after the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse made its recommendations. Thousands of survivors were denied access to trauma counselling and legal support. AGD had no implementation timeline and accountability mechanisms were absent.

Spread across Australia's 10.8 million households, that's roughly $46 per family — enough in total for paying the annual salary of 5,882 nurses.

  • The Royal Commission recommended specialist support for child sexual abuse survivors in 2017.
  • Five years later, AGD still hadn't delivered it.
  • Thousands of survivors waited for help the government promised.
Amount Spent
Not specified
Original Estimate
Not specified
Waste / Overrun
$500,000,000
AI Confidence
0%

Analysis

The Royal Commission recommended specialist support for child sexual abuse survivors in 2017. Five years later, AGD still hadn't delivered it. Thousands of survivors waited for help the government promised. This is unconscionable. @reckonerAU

Sources

https://www.anao.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-06/Auditor-General_Report_2024-25_44.pdf
Category: governance
Severity: critical
Agency: Attorney-General's Department
Fund This Investigation
Help hold the government accountable. Every dollar funds more investigations.
Choose an amount
$
Secure payment via Stripe. 100% funds accountability work.
Share this finding

Every share puts pressure on the people responsible. Make it impossible to ignore.

Department: Attorney-General's Department
The Daily Reckoning
Get every new finding in your inbox.

I send every new finding. Daily. No fluff.