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      14 December 2017: Ombudsman welcomes announcement by Defence of the reparation payment framework for serious cases of Defence abuse

      The Australian Government has introduced the ability for the Ombudsman to recommend a reparation payment in response to a report of serious abuse in some circumstances. The Ombudsman may recommend to Defence that a reparation payment be made in relation to a report of serious abuse which has been accepted, if:

      • the abuse occurred on or before 30 June 2014
      • the report of abuse was made to the Ombudsman on or before 30 June 2021, and
      • the Ombudsman is satisfied the report involves the most serious forms of abuse and/or sexual assault.

      There are two possible payments which the Ombudsman may recommend:

      • a payment of up to $45,000 to acknowledge the most serious forms of abuse
      • a payment of up to $20,000 to acknowledge other abuse involving unlawful interference accompanied by some element of indecency.

      An additional payment of $5,000 may also be recommended where the Ombudsman is satisfied that Defence mismanaged the incident of abuse.

      The above payments may be reduced if a reportee has already received a reparation payment relating to abuse in Defence, such as from the Defence Abuse Response Taskforce.

      More information about reparation payments can be found in our factsheet and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).