The Joint Standing Committee on Implementation of the National Redress Scheme will hear from representatives of the Department of Social Services at a public hearing in Canberra on Friday, 11 September 2026, as part of its inquiry into the continuing operation of the Scheme.
Committee Chair, Ms Jodie Belyea MP, said the hearing comes at a pivotal time for the Scheme, with the statutory Eighth Anniversary Review underway and less than a year remaining before applications to the Scheme are due to close. ‘With only 10 months until applications close, the Committee is seeking to understand how the Department is preparing for what is expected to be an intensive final phase of the Scheme,’ Ms Belyea said. ‘This evidence will be particularly important as the Committee finalises its hearings and prepares its report and recommendations for tabling in October.’
Ms Belyea noted that the National Redress Scheme is vast in complexity and scale. ‘The Committee recognises that the Scheme is one of the most significant redress pathways available to victim-survivors, and is keen to ensure the Department has clear plans in place to manage what is likely to be a demanding period ahead,’ she said.
Issues relating to the experience of applicants, barriers to submitting applications, and access to the Scheme for vulnerable cohorts have emerged as key themes during the inquiry. The Committee is also closely examining processing times and the Department’s capacity to manage a possible surge in applications as the Scheme approaches its closing date. ‘The Committee is particularly interested in the strategies that have been implemented to ensure applications are determined in a manner that is safe, trauma-informed, respectful and dignified,’ Ms Belyea said.
