The great unburdening: After a spilling of secrets comes hope of national healing

A few of the tormented could be found almost every day attending the long hearings of the royal commission.

Some became familiar figures, spending adjournments on courtroom steps, smoking anxiously or chatting or silently smouldering. Bearing witness.

Established by the government of Julia Gillard at the start of 2013, the commission was supposed to lodge an initial report no later than June 30, 2014, and a final report by December 31, 2015. It quickly became obvious that the lake of pain it was exploring and the swamp of religious and institutional corruption it was wading were far deeper than imagined. In September 2014, a two-year extension was granted.

Read more: https://www.theherald.com.au/story/5466876/the-great-unburdening-after-a-spilling-of-secrets-comes-hope-of-national-healing/