Slater and Gordon Lawyers represent many survivors whose childhoods were devastated by abuse in institutions run by the Christian Brothers. For decades, they have carried the burden of what was inflicted on them, waiting for recognition, justice and some form of closure.
Many finally achieved settlements or judgments that brought some peace. Now, as the Christian Brothers tell the Court they are effectively insolvent and seek schemes of arrangement and a moratorium to stay claims against them, those survivors are being thrown back into uncertainty.
Many survivors have told us it feels as though their suffering is being extended and old wounds are being reopened.
This situation did not appear overnight. It follows years of decisions about how the Christian Brothers organised their affairs and held their property. Survivors are entitled to ask whether those decisions ever truly put their right to compensation first.
When institutions that presided over child abuse ask a Court to freeze claims and channel compensation through a limited fund, there is a real risk of a new form of institutional harm: one that undermines hard‑won outcomes and treats survivors’ claims as just another liability to be managed.
We call for the Christian Brothers to take accountability and responsibility for their actions and we await the findings of the actuarial report.
Survivors must not be silenced or short‑changed.
Slater and Gordon Lawyers will continue to stand with our clients and will pursue every avenue available so that survivors’ rights and their voices are at the centre of whatever the Court decides.
