Mr ALBANESE (Grayndler—Prime Minister) (14:00): by leave—I move: That the House commemorate the fifth anniversary of the National Apology to Victims and Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse. Tomorrow is National Survivors' Day, when we recognise and commemorate the courage of survivors of sexual assault and institutional abuse, their supporters, and whistleblowers across Australia. So it is especially fitting that today we mark the anniversary of a major turning point in their journey: the National Apology to Victims and Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse. Once again, I pay tribute to the courage and compassion of Prime Minister Julia Gillard in making the royal commission possible. As great as her opponents' determination was, hers was even greater. What the royal commission achieved will be forever to her credit. The member for Cook delivered the apology as Prime Minister, and I thank him for his important and powerful words that day. As he said in here, half a decade ago, 'Today, as a nation, we confront our failure to listen, to believe and to provide justice.' This was a turning point, and, as we listened to the speeches that day, here and across the nation, we heard the member for Maribyrnong say 10 of the most important words to be spoken in this place: 'We hear you now. We believe you. Australia believes you.' Amid everything that was said during the apology, that was the beating heart of it—hearing and believing, at last. Addressed to the Australians who so badly needed to hear them, those 10 words began the easing of so many burdens: the burden of betrayal, the burden of abuse and the burden of an indifferent world, which so many carried for a lifetime. Far too often, they carried it to the very end. So we keep repeating the words like a heartbeat: 'We hear you. We believe you. Australia believes you.' With those words, this parliament apologised for all the years when we, as a nation, couldn't bring ourselves to hear and when we chose not to believe. We have done away with metaphors of darkness because much of what was inflicted on so many children, in the very places they should have been safe, didn't hide in the shadows. It needed only silence to exist and to continue: the silence of those too afraid to speak and the silence created when voices are ignored or disbelieved. This was laid bare in testimony after testimony to the royal commission. We feel nothing but awe for the courage of those who were able to tell their story and respect for those who could not. On the day of the apology, the then Labor leader the member for Maribyrnong said this to the survivors and the victims: We do this because it is right, because it is overdue, because Australians must know and face up to the truth about our past. But, above all, we do this because of you. For the families and friends of those who hadn't lived to hear it, it was a day of poignancy, yet it was also a day of catharsis, a day when the confusion and shame that had clouded so many lives began to lift. It ended a long chapter, but it also began a fresh one, and, importantly, the parliament was united on that day. Last month was the fifth anniversary of the foundation of the Australian Centre To Counter Child Exploitation. Since its launch, the AFP has charged 877 alleged offenders with more than 7,000 child abuse offences. Think about that—7,000! This year also marks the fifth year of operation for the National Office for Child Safety. Recommended by the royal commission, it is working across the Commonwealth states and governments and the community in a coordinated approach to prevent child sexual abuse and support and empower survivors. All Australian governments remain committed to delivering the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse 2021-2030, which responds to the approximately 100 royal commission recommendations. In June, the National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse launched its five-year strategic plan, Here for Change, establishing a map for the national centre's work over its first five years and its vision for longer term, generational change. In September, the Attorney-General launched minimum practice standards for specialist and community support services responding to child sexual abuse and last month saw the launch of One Talk at a Time, the national awareness raising and behavioural change campaign on child sexual abuse. The government is reviewing the child sexual abuse offences in the Commonwealth Criminal Code to ensure Australia's legislative framework keeps pace with the evolving threat landscape and maintains our ability to disrupt, prevent, investigate and prosecute these serious crimes. Earlier this year, the landmark Australian child maltreatment study was published. It is a significant contribution to our understanding of the prevalence and impact of child abuse and neglect in Australia. Beyond our domestic response, the government supports global efforts to fight the threat of online child sexual exploitation and abuse. This year, President Biden of the United States and I announced the establishment of the Australia-United States Joint Council on Combating Online Child Sexual Exploitation, and, later this month, the Attorney-General will host a ministerial forum on child safety to bolster national child safety reforms, strengthen existing frameworks and improve how states and territories and organisations work together to better meet the needs of children and young people and their families and carers. The National Redress Scheme remains an avenue for survivors to seek and receive recognition for abuse suffered and for institutions and governments to be held accountable for that. This week we are bringing legislation before the parliament to improve access to the scheme and implementing the recommendations of the second-year review. There is a long way to go, but, on behalf of this parliament, I say to the survivors and the victims that together we will continue writing that new chapter—a new chapter that began when your courage finally made Australia listen and broke the silence forever.