1 July 2023
Dear Australian and New Zealand Co-workers, Elders and Friends,
We remember you and appreciate you all, in your respective places, near and far. We are united in writing to you after a period of careful consideration. We have undertaken a process of meeting together, consultation with professionals, survivors, and brothers and sisters in our fellowship.
Cases of child sexual abuse and sexual misconduct among workers and friends within the fellowship overseas have been recently highlighted. These allegations are being managed in each jurisdiction with a number of people removed from the work and meeting attendance.
We are sharing this information with you because, over the years, some of these people have been visitors at Australian and New Zealand conventions and special meetings. We are also aware of many family connections with friends and workers overseas and people travelling internationally. We have not been formally notified of individuals with child sexual abuse allegations against them who have visited Australia and New Zealand in the past, although we will do our best to provide up to date information to you if you request it individually from us. Australian and New Zealand defamation laws and victim privacy considerations restrict us from publicly naming individuals with allegations against them.
If there is anyone in Australia or New Zealand who has been affected by sexual abuse by anyone in our fellowship including workers, reporting to appropriate authorities is required by law and we are available to speak to any people with concerns.
We have been working individually in each Australian State and in New Zealand to address these issues locally but have now come together as a group of overseers to discuss how we work across both countries in a united way, to improve the prevention of child sexual abuse and support survivors who have been harmed within our fellowship. We all have zero tolerance for the harming of children, young people or anyone within our fellowship. We know we have much work to do to listen to and support survivors of abuse and we are all committed to doing this.
We will work together with the support of professionals and people with lived experience of abuse, to move to a standard policy and approach across all our areas. Our workers will continue to keep up to date with training on preventing child sexual abuse. In Australia, we will continue maintaining our Working with Children Checks and we will move to a similar approach in New Zealand. We will provide additional details for managing visiting workers and child safe guidelines for convention prior to conventions starting this year. We will regularly update you as we progress.
There is no place for people who have harmed children in our meetings and conventions; we ask any individual with a history of causing harm, or with allegations, or convictions not to attend. This includes public gospel meetings.
We have a shared responsibility across our fellowship for the safety of our children and are grateful for each one caring for young ones. We encourage parents, grandparents and any who have regular contact with children to inform themselves about child sexual abuse. The two videos below may be helpful in this regard, and we encourage parents and guardians to educate their children about keeping safe and aware.
The Office of the Children’s Guardian NSW has a 20-minute video on recognising abuse.
https://ocg.nsw.gov.au/resources/induction-video-part-1-recognising-abuse
Ministry Safe provides online information for parents https://Vimeo.com/577634014
We draw your attention to specific legal requirements for certain groups of people to report any suspected child abuse and neglect to the authorities (known as mandatory reporters). This is in addition to anyone’s responsibility to report any crime to the police. Mandatory reporters include the following:
- ACT – workers
- NSW – workers and elders
- NT – any person
- SA – workers and elders
- TAS – workers
- VIC – workers and elders
- WA – workers
- QLD – all adults
In New Zealand police officers and social workers only are mandatory reporters.
https://aifs.gov.au/resources/resource-sheets/mandatory-reporting-child-abuse-and-neglect
We want to know and address any past or current concerns about misconduct or abuse of any kind, in our fellowship. We will listen to you, believe you, and will do all we can to support you. We support, encourage and stand by you to raise and report any issues. Criminal matters against children, by law, must be taken directly to the appropriate authorities. We encourage accessing professional help and support, from professional bodies such as these:
Australia: Get support | National Office for Child Safety or 24/7 support on 1800 737 732
New Zealand: https://www.kidshealth.org.nz/listing-information-support-resources-child-abuse or 24/7 support on 0508 326 459
We acknowledge that these matters have not always been appropriately addressed in the past. We are truly sorry for any harm and immeasurable long-term damage to victims, and it is our firm objective to do better in future.
The care and safety of children in our fellowship is paramount and we are available to help and support survivors as much as possible.
Warm regards and encouragement,
Malcolm Clapham, Graeme Dalton, Wayne Dean, Trevor Joll, Alan Mitchell and Alan Richardson.
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Wrong: New Zealand police officers and social workers only are mandatory reporters.
Counsellors psychologists, schools and other agencies are also mandatory reporters.
I’ll retract the statement about counsellors, psyvhologists, schools and so on are mandatory reports. Looking on the internet that might not be correct. I believe that as specialists we are required to report children who are being sexually abused to Oranga Tamariki.
Isn’t there an Australian worker who is known for sexual misconduct, was expelled from Greece for sexual harassment, was refused to NZ conventions by Allan Richardson, has been laboring in South America, and is now on US convention list as a visiting worker?
He is well known to all the signatories of this letter.
They are not being honest or truly dedicated to ridding the fellowship from sexual misconduct.
Kudos to Alan R. for refusing him entry. If other countries won’t deal with their workers then this is what needs to happen when an overseer is aware of a problem.
Understanding can’t name, are you able to share initials of name?
BM
I know exactly who you’re talking about. Thanks for confirming the suspicions I’ve had for years. I knew him since I was a little girl.
I am thankful for the content and spirit of this letter. I am encouraged by overseers working together and taking a stand.
I hope we see more of this in other places.
MM: if you are not going to name the worker and state if there are allegations of child abuse, what is the point of posting?
I am not sure if it’s allowed to name him on this platform.
I didn’t say he is accused of CSA.
Initials have been widely used on this site and would help. Thanks.
Where is Graham Snow? He seems to have melted into the background…
He’s bailed from his esteemed position and is getting married in NZ.
Probably needs to get married fast to avoid any skeletons?
From Facebook: “Rumor: Snow no longer in the work. Currently in or soon to locate himself to New Zealand. Reportedly engaged to marry a woman he had a relationship with in NZ 30 years ago, an open hushed secret among locals at the time.”
He’s left the Work.
Mr Snow certainly is a well known problem solver Mr Fixit. And he has now solved his own problem of what a sick older person in the work should do. Hey presto, leave the work and a few short weeks later he is getting married. Romeo couldn’t have got Juliet to the alter any quicker. Mmmmm Pure as Snow, I cant help but think there may be something more to this.
Where’s Max Goldsack? Administrative typographical oversight or unwilling signatory? Maybe I’ve missed comments elsewhere as to the reason behind this.
MG has some accusations of his own to deal with
This letter dated 1st July. Didn’t hear anything of it in our fellowship meeting on Sunday 2nd July, or from elder. No-one I’ve spoken to across a few meetings in Aus or NZ said it was mentioned on Sunday. What’s the dissemination plan to the flock? Has it gone down the worker channels into their fields? I know only one Sunday has transpired the day after it was released/dated, but they can sure communicate fast about some things, not about others. Maybe more general mention on Sunday 9th July, or maybe nothing more? It has been published, is no more being said? What’s the plan? Surely more than publishing on here and that’s it. Did I blink and miss it, or is my expectation out of whack?
It was sent to most people in Australia on Saturday via email. However, New Zealand are taking a very strict approach where the elders have to hand deliver (yes you heard it right) a paper copy.
I’m in NZ and have mine, however I have a contact in Australia who has still not yet received theirs. Probably depends on who you speak to. Some in Qld received them Saturday, WA some Tuesday etc etc. Some in NZ received them Sunday. I don’t have a problem with the request for paper copies to be hand delivered; under the circumstances it’s much more personal.
“Blinked and missed it” why don’t you ask your workers when they will be distributed? We did. It actually might be your elder who is holding it up.
Suspect it’s for the internet and won’t actually be issued.
Maybe ask your local workers?
Why can’t every single person who helped construct this letter in any way be named – with all their credentials? In Australia laws are different in every state. Did they use Lawyers from every state who specialised in CSA or just one of the Friends from one state?
Who where the victims they used? Why choose them over other victims to advise them? If the victims take on the important role of advocating for every other victim then they should be named. Have they taken their case to court and been through a trial for years? Do they know what that is like?
These “Professionals” they have used could be anybody off the street for all we know.
Do you have credentials that could professionally offer input into such letters?
Graham Snow had a stroke whilst in Germany. He can care for his personal needs but his speech has been affected. After quite some therapy, he is able to communicate in short sentences of a few words. He wished to return to Australia and it was arranged for someone to travel with him because of his speech problem. He was in a care home but has been offered a flatlet in friends’ home in New Zealand. There are no plans of a wedding.
Graham Snow has been in Australia, are we saying he isn’t getting married?
He told a personal friend of mine that phoned him that he is NOT getting married. A couple in NZ has offered him a flatlet attached to their house and the offer would include a main meal.
Please stop stirring and making up stories for the sake of juicy incorrect gossip!
I apologize if in my previous reply I was unkind about juicy gossip stories.
Graham was visiting Germany when he had a stroke. He received intensive therapy there. He recovered most of his abilities except his speech. He manages to speak short sentences using basic words. There is definitely NOT any talks of a marriage .
But he is married.
At the time of the comment in July any wedding plans were cancelled. However he now got married in December.
But he is married.