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RUBY:

From Schwartz Media, I’m Ruby Jones. This is 7am.

He was one of the most senior members of the Anglican Church, then became the Governor-General of Australia.

But last week Peter Hollingworth sat in secret hearings which could decide his legacy.

Those hearings are investigating his handling of child sexual abuse claims – with several complaints being heard about his decisions, while he ran the Brisbane diocese.

As a result - he could be stripped of his status as an Anglican minister. And, there are other questions about his generous public pension, which over the years has added up to 12 million dollars.

Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe, on the future of Peter Hollingworth.

And a warning, this episode contains discussion of child sexual abuse.

It’s Wednesday, February 15.

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RUBY:

So Mike, when Peter Hollingworth was appointed as governor-general of Australia, the position which is representative of the Queen in Australia, why was he chosen for that role? And how unusual is it for a Christian cleric to be appointed to that position?

MIKE:

So yeah Hollingworth is actually the first and only cleric ever to be made governor-general. He was chosen by John Howard. And to understand why that was, you have to go back in time to before Hollingworth, when we had as governor-general, Sir William Dean, former Chief Justice of the High Court, who was appointed in the dying days of the previous Labor government. And to be frank, Howard never much liked Dean. Dean was a very public facing governor-general. He cared about social justice issues, and Howard didn't like that. He wanted to replace him with someone who was, you know, a conservative establishment figure who would, you know, look the part and not say much.

RUBY:

But it didn't really turn out that way that John Howard had planned, did they? Peter Hollingworth wasn’t exactly a low profile choice, these allegations started to emerge. So when were those very first reports about Hollingworth's handling of child sexual abuse allegations made?

MIKE:

Well, it was barely six months into the job. So, you know, his five year appointment, six months into the job, his past starts coming back to haunt him.

Archival tape – ABC Archive:

“It was a deceptively normal Sunday morning for Peter Hollingworth. Worshipping as usual at Canberra's St John's Anglican church, there was no outward sign his time of reflection was drawing to an end.”

MIKE:

So in December of 2001, the Brisbane diocese was ordered to pay over $800,000 in damages to a woman who was sexually abused as an 11 year old child. Her abuser was Kevin Guy, the boarding master at a Toowoomba school, and he had been charged, but he killed himself before the matter ever came to any result in the court. And he left behind a suicide note, confessing that he had quote loved unquote 20 girls. And in awarding damages, the Supreme Court of Queensland ruled that the Anglican Archdiocese of Brisbane under Hollingworth had failed in its duty of care. And from that point, a media storm grew.

Archival tape – 60 Minutes:

“Dr Hollingworth do you have anything you want to say about the case at Toowoomba Preparatory school?“

Archival tape – Peter Hollingworth:

“Ah not today thank you”

MIKE:

So as this media storm grew, the new governor-general — who Howard so wanted to be, you know, seen and not heard — was forced into the first of a number of embarrassing public statements. Hollingworth denied suggestions that there'd been a cover up and allegations that he'd shown a lack of concern or disinterest, although he did say that he was, and I'm quoting him here, “sorry, that legal and insurance considerations to some extent inhibited our taking a more active role and more overtly expressing the church's concern for the physical, emotional, and spiritual welfare, of those affected by the actions of Mr. Guy.”

RUBY:

And so it seems like Hollingworth's governor generalship, it really coincided with this time when attention started to turn towards, not just the individual priests who were abusers and their specific crimes, but the way that the leadership of major churches in Australia handled those claims when they arose. And revelations came quite quickly at this time. So what else came out about Hollingworth's time as the Archbishop of Brisbane?

MIKE:

Yeah, more damaging stories followed. Perhaps the most extraordinary of which was aired on the ABC's Australian Story program in 2002. And it related to the sexual abuse of a girl, way back in the mid 1950s.

And I spoke to her last week.

BETH:

Good afternoon.

MIKE:

And her name was Beth Heinrich.

BETH:

I've been dealing with the Anglican Church longer than I can believe myself.

MIKE:

And still, I might say, as sharp as a tack.

BETH:

And how I've got the strength to keep at it, I'm not sure.

MIKE:

And remarkably together, given what she's been through over almost 70 years since she was sexually abused. And she is absolutely determined that the church should be held accountable, after all this time, for what happened to her and what was not done about it. Beth Heinrich's story is that she was sent to board at St John's Hostel in Forbes, in New South Wales, when she was 14. The hostel was run by the church. Donald Shearman — the assistant priest in Forbes — ran the hostel along with his wife. So in 1954, when Heinrich was a minor, Shearman began a sexual relationship with her.

BETH:

I was 14, I was 14. And I say to my parents that I wanted to go home because I felt uncomfortable, but I didn't have the language to explain to them what it was all about.

MIKE:

Heinrich told Australian Story that the priest made promises of marrying her, all sorts of promises, but essentially was lying to her. And then Shearman’s wife fell pregnant, had a child, and Shearman turned on Beth and expelled her.

BETH:

And of course, he lied to my parents and indicated I was promiscuous, and started a rumour around town that I was. And unfortunately I didn't finish my education so couldn't go to university.

MIKE:

So she made a complaint to the Anglican Church and they decided they would hold a mediation involving her and Shearman. So by this time Shearman is nearly 70. Semi-retired Bishop — although still permitted to conduct occasional services — and Hollingworth was the Archbishop of Brisbane and he attended the mediation sessions which failed. As Beth's lawyer told me, basically what she wanted was to have Shearman have his holy orders revoked and Hollingworth would not agree to that. So anyway, when this is aired on Australian Story and the program includes this accusation, the governor-general appeared and gives comment, said…

Archival tape – Peter Hollingworth:

“My belief is that this was not sex abuse. There was no suggestion of rape or anything like that. Quite the contrary. My information is that it was rather the other way around.”

MIKE:

And Heinrich was, you know, obviously devastated by this statement going out to the people of Australia.

BETH:

Well, it was like… I really couldn't believe it. I was… I just thought, this isn't happening. This isn't true. He's talking about me. This is national television. And here's pathetic me, trying to get some justice in all this. And here I am being vilified by the Queen's representative in Australia. It was just surreal and crazy. It was just terrible.

RUBY:

So Hollingworth said that while he was governor-general, and I mean comments like that, that hardly in line with the public conversation that's happening around priestly abuse. Because he's really putting blame on, on the alleged victim and it's dismissive, it's almost exactly the wrong way for a public figure to talk about such serious allegations. So what kind of reaction did we see to Hollingworth's comments?

MIKE:

Well, there was a furious reaction the day after the program aired, the new Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane ordered an inquiry into the handling of child sex abuse cases. Hollingworth subsequently released a 4600 word statement attempting to justify his actions in her case — and in many others that had come to light — and made a public apology to Heinrich. Meanwhile, other people, notably including state and federal Labor members, called for the governor-general's dismissal.

Archival tape – Simon Crean:

“For so long as he continues to hang on to the governor-general. People will conclude that the Prime Minister is prepared to condone someone who covers up for paedophiles.”

MIKE:

John Howard, however, defended his man, and he held a lengthy press conference in which he said of Hollingworth, and I'm quoting again, “He had a high public reputation. He continues, in my view, to have a very high public reputation.” So Howard was sticking, despite everything. So this rolls on a bit. And by May 2003, 76% of Australians, according to polling, want Hollingworth gone. And eventually, on May 28, 2003, Hollingworth announced his resignation.

Archival tape – John Howard:

“The Governor General has told me, in giving consideration to the longer term tenure of that office, that he will place the dignity and the protection of the office above all other consideration.”

MIKE:

So he hasn't been very long in the job, but still, as a former governor-general, he continues to receive a pension and expenses which cost roughly $600,000 a year. You know, the case of how Beth Heinrich's accusations were handled isn't over. Her case rolls on and is still rolling on in this inquiry that took place last week.

So, you know, this is probably the longest running sex abuse case in the world, and certainly one of the most expensive. And is one of the key cases, obviously, that's being considered by this secret tribunal.

RUBY:

We'll be back in a moment.

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RUBY:

So Mike, there are several people providing evidence to this secret tribunal — we don’t know how many because of the secrecy that surrounds it all — but you have been speaking to one of the key people, Beth Heinrich. Through your conversations with her, with Beth, have you got a sense of what she might have said to the inquiry, and what she ultimately would like to get out of this process?

MIKE:

I certainly know exactly what she said, because her lawyers have sent me a copy of her victim impact statement. The story, though, is that she was not going to be admitted to the hearing. She was a complainant and considered not to be a party. But her lawyers made a submission to the board saying that the whole hearing should have been made in public. Given that it was a matter of genuine public interest and that Hollingworth had been the recipient of, as they put it, a considerable pension and other financial benefits at the expense of taxpayers. And estimated to have cost about $12 million over the 20 years since he ceased being governor-general. So that plea for the hearing to be public, that was rejected. But Heinrich was allowed in to read her witness statement.

BETH:

It was very satisfying to actually finally be able just to read what I had written, and have people there listening, whether they wanted to listen or not. They were there and they heard what I had to say.

MIKE:

And it describes the continuing impact on her mental and physical health from the initial abuse by Shearman — who died back in 2019 — and the secondary abuse by the church, which did nothing about it for all those years.

BETH:

And Hollingworth was there. Dr. Hollingworth was there as well of course, in the room.

MIKE:

All of which she said was made worse by Dr. Hollingworth's conduct in the media. It was quite a heartrending statement, I have to say.

So we'll see what comes as a result of this inquiry. We haven't had a result yet. It's expected to be a couple more months before the church board comes down with the decision on these matters.

RUBY:

Right. So in a matter of months, we'll find out whether the Anglican Church will defrock Hollingworth or not. But what about when it comes to the arguably bigger issues of his entitlements? Because as you said before, as the former governor-general, he's still getting this allowance of $600,000 a year from the Government. Is that likely to continue?

MIKE:

Well, as things stand at the moment, according to the governor-general Act, yes. Former governors-general receive a lifetime pension set at 60% of the salary of the Chief Justice of the High Court, which is adjusted upwards, you know, periodically. It is now worth $357,000 a year. Plus he gets staff and travel entitlements which lift the overall package to around 600,000. So big cost to the taxpayer.

Archival tape – David Shoebridge:

I have today given notice of the governor-general amendment cessation of allowances in the Public Interest Bill 2023.

MIKE:

So on Thursday last week, in the context of this hearing taking place in Melbourne, the Greens’ Justice spokesman, David Shoebridge, gave notice that he would reintroduce a bill that had first been brought to Parliament, back in November 2019, by a former Greens senator Rachel Siewert, but never debated.

Archival tape – David Shoebridge:

The bill creates a power for the removal of access to lucrative entitlements by former governors-general, where they were found to have engaged in serious misconduct.

MIKE:

It was known as the governor-general Amendment (cessation of allowances in the public interest bill), and it was intended to stop paying allowances to former governors-general, and their spouses, when they had engaged in serious misconduct.

Archival tape – David Shoebridge:

The need for this has been highlighted this week as former Governor General Peter Hollingworth has finally faced an Anglican Church inquiry into serious allegations of his mishandling of child sexual abuse claims.

MIKE:

And as Shoebridge says, no one, whatever their current or former role, should be entitled to a blank check payable each year by the public, regardless of their conduct.

Archival tape – David Shoebridge:

In just the five years from 2016 to 2021, the former governor general took over $3 million in payments and entitlements. All for an 18 month long job, that he resigned from in disgrace.

RUBY:

And this entire story, Mike, it's really about the ways in which people in power protect the functioning of the system that they're in, right? It's Hollingworth protecting the institution of the Anglican Church and then above him, it's the Prime Minister, John Howard, acting to protect the position of the governor-general. But all of that is coming, of course, at the expense of a person like Beth. So what did she say to you about the impact of watching that protection continue to function over decades? It's pretty hard to believe that she would still have much faith in the system left.

MIKE:

Well, I think that's a fair comment. It certainly destroyed her faith in the church. And I believe in God.

BETH:

And nothing's changed. I've just got more depressed, angrier still, and more determined. And of course, things have become worse. So it doesn't seem to matter. It's just unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable.

MIKE:

And you're quite right. This is not just a story about Beth. It's a story about hundreds, if not thousands of abused kids, but it's also about the way the conservative establishment protects its own, you know. Ignoring the victims, seeking to discredit them, stonewalling them, in her case for 70 years, hoping, as her lawyers put it, that they would either just go away or die.

BETH:

You know, it's very sad that the church couldn't do the right thing at the time, but the church doesn't seem to understand that the longer they procrastinate, the bigger they make the problem, and therefore, consequently, the resolution needs to be bigger. That's the problem. The longer they leave it, the bigger the problem grows and it's their own doing.

MIKE:

But there's lots of fight left in Beth Heinrich, I can tell you that. So I don't think this matters over by a long way. And there's lots of fight left in her.

RUBY:

Mike, thank you so much for your time.

MIKE:

Thanks.

RUBY:

If this episode has raised any issues for you, you can contact 1800 Respect, the national counselling helpline on 1800 737 732 or Bravehearts, a counselling and support service for survivors of child sexual abuse on 1800 272 831.

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RUBY:

Also in the news today,

Parts of the North Island of New Zealand remain in a state of emergency, for only the third time in history, as Cyclone Gabrielle continues to wreak havoc in the Pacific.

There are reports of people trapped on roofs, and being forced to swim to safety as flooding cuts off access to communities.

And,

Olympic athlete and WA’s Young Australian of the Year Peter Bol says he is free to return to training after being cleared of suspected doping.

Sports Integrity Australia suspended the runner after a doping test showed signs of a banned substance and he was immediately barred from training and competition pending a test on a B-sample.

However, Sports Integrity Australia have warned that the results on the latest test weren’t conclusively negative, but quote “atypical”, and they are continuing to investigate the matter.

I’m Ruby Jones, this is 7am. See you tomorrow.

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