Paper on abuse payouts anticipated

Thousands of people who suffered sex abuse as children in institutions across Australia are likely to know by the end of next week whether a national compensation scheme is on the cards.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse is expected to publish a consultation paper on redress by next Friday.

The paper, anticipated not only by abuse survivors but by churches, governments and non-government bodies who had responsibility for the care of children, will give some indication of how the commission is leaning before it makes its final recommendations on compensation in June or July this year.

The questions addressed in the paper will be the merits or otherwise of a national scheme, who should fund it and run it, as well as levels of proof required, scales of payment and how claims should be assessed.

Last June the commission asked for submissions on redress and got 86 - the highest number received on any of its seven issue papers to date.

It has also held a number of roundtables with stakeholders.

It is understood a national scheme is favoured by most so there is consistency for claimants across the country.

In March, a public hearing will be held for oral submissions on issues arising from the paper.