The apology follows a harrowing five-year inquiry which found tens of thousands of children had been abused in schools, churches, orphanages and other institutions.
For many survivors and their families, the apology in Canberra will mark a hard-fought moment of recognition. But for others it will feel hollow.
The BBC has spoken to several survivors who feel conflicted about the occasion.
"I think apologising is easy - it doesn't do much," says
Paul Auchettl
, 60.
He was 11 when he first was sexually abused by a paedophile priest, who later went to jail. Mr Auchettl's brother, who was preyed upon by another priest, took his own life a decade ago.
Mr Auchettl plans to use the apology to speak out against the government's response to the royal commission inquiry.
Survivor groups have criticised aspects of a compensation scheme.
In its final report last December, the inquiry found that major institutions had "seriously failed" children over decades. The government responded by saying that a "national tragedy" had been exposed.
However, Mr Auchettl believes the authorities haven't done enough since then to address the problem, or to support the families of victims.
He is angry that
the government did not accept all the recommendations put forward by the inquiry
, or its terms for a compensation scheme.
The inquiry proposed capping payouts at A$200,000 (£110,000; $140,000) per person, but this was lowered by the government to A$150,000. Maximum payouts will be given only to victims who suffered penetrative abuse - a criterion not proposed by the inquiry.
"It's just so insulting to measure pain along those lines," says
Michael Scull
, a survivor of abuse by a Catholic priest in the 1960s.
"I'm just going up there to Canberra to walk out. Someone's got to be seen to be turning their back on this."
Both men say they are aware that their views are divisive. Mr Auchettl says some other survivors had pulled out of his protest, and he had even been told to "shut up and sit down".
"They see it as the wrong approach and they want to go and be a part of the apology," he says.
"They see it as a turning point - they're seeing hope. And I would like to be positive and see hope too, but I'm finding it hard."
Glen Fisher
first suffered abuse in a state-run boys' home when he was seven. He says he still endures many nights where he wakes up screaming.
Mr Fisher says he cried when he found out that he had received state funding to attend the apology with other survivors.
"What the moment - the apology - holds is 30 years of fighting," he says.
"Validation. Being vindicated for all those times as children when no-one listened, no-one believed us, no-one cared."
He agrees that the compensation scheme has flaws, but says criticism should not extend to the apology.
"I'm broken and I need to hear those words: 'I am sorry we failed you and your siblings,'" he says.
Another childhood abuse survivor,
Georgie Burg
, says she has felt conflicted about whether to go.
Mrs Burg's abuser was jailed in August.
She says the redress scheme is intimidating, and forces victims to "relive their abuse" because they are required to submit statements. Many only recounted their suffering for the first time at the inquiry, she says.
However, Mrs Burg says she will listen to the apology on Monday "with an open mind".
"I do think it might be a healing point. It could help me start to move past what happened to me," she says.
How will the compensation scheme work?
-
About 60,000 victims of institutional child sexual abuse are eligible to receive payments under the federal government-led scheme
-
All Australian states and territories, as well as many churches, charities and other institutions have signed up to offer
compensation Survivors can make applications in paper or online until 2028
-
The average payout is estimated to be A$67,000 (about US$ 46,900)
-
Access to counselling and personal apologies from responsible institutions will also be offered.
Source.
@GeorgeT
@MolochHunter
▼ shewhomustbeobeyed
bbc - https://archive.is/Ua7ge and https://archive.is/mWqHF
royalcommission - https://archive.is/tjAdw
theguardian - https://archive.is/celth
▼ clearthoughts04
I would imagine the government would prefer to apologize for abuse that mostly points to the Catholic Church and not the politicians who raped children. Fiona Barnett alleges that she was raped by Gough Whitlam, and she also mentioned Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating as another Prime Minister who raped children as part of these international child sex trafficking rings. These VIP crimes are not in the nation's conscious yet and would require a public disclosure from another Prime Minister, or the leader of a foreign country making the allegation backed up with proof.
▼ wtf_is_happening
I believe a lot of the children from institutions, eg Daruk and Engadine Boys Home, were trafficked to politicians and VIPs at VIP paedophile parties. It's easy for Scot Morrison to say sorry. It's also easy to dip into taxpayers' money to hand out compensation. How much more significant would it be to publicly (at least) name those VIP perpetrators? Following the British example (eg Savile, Heath, that hideous fatty whose name I forget et al) apparently we have to wait until they die. Many of the victims are in public housing and/or receive governnent disability pensions or other forms of government funding. Effectively the victims are paid off. Understandably I guess they're not gonna jeopardise their financial security by naming anyone.
If you're wondering, my main source of info is Fiona Barnett, who is a true Australian hero.
▼ think-
Are you kidding???? That victims have to live in public housing, and are so ill that they get disability pensions is a 'compensation' for you?! OMG. How high are disability pensions in Australia?! I guess it's just enough to survive.
▼ wtf_is_happening
I'm not disagreeing with you. They're not lavishly paid off but the effect is the same.
▼ think-
A compensation would mean to allow to live a life in dignity.
▼ think-
There is no shadowbanning on Voat, @wtf_is_happening .
▼ wtf_is_happening
Thanks. Internet can be confusing.
▼ kazza64
he's doing what john howard refused to do because he knew the government would have to start paying reparations
▼ Mommyplayer571
I believe average people are “sensible” unless hacked by mind control. This could be a good thing. Anyone who has children of their own knows pedo is wrong.
▼ MolochHunter
thanks @thnk-
I'm curious about the numbers here. the article says up to 60 000 victims may apply for compensation, heard 8 000 tesitmonies
but the earlier reports suggested the number of victims was 4444 https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/feb/06/4444-victims-extent-of-abuse-in-catholic-church-in-australia-revealed (that seems limited to Catholic abuse, perhps, whereas the broader enquiry involved other institutions)
I guess the number 60 000 includes compensation to surviving family members of those who committed suicide or passed away snce the abuse?
so im still trying to pin down a full number of victims identified....
▼ think-
I will look into it, @MolochHunter . The number of 4444 (interesting number, huh?) was published in an early report, and indeed refers only to Catholic Church sexual abuse survivors.
The number 60,000 seems to have been set in order to limit the amounts the state would have to pay, it might not necessarily refer to the number of victims they researched; I might be wrong though.
I don't think so. It's only a compensation for living survivors as far as I know.