Australian actor and child sex abuse survivor Madeleine West has joined a campaign to close a legal loophole that allows paedophiles to hide their wealth in superannuation, leaving nothing for their victims.
"It's absolutely necessary that we start staring this crime in the face, looking it in the eyes, and stop looking the other way," the mother-of-six said.
She has joined forces with Adelaide-based lawyer Andrew Carpenter to lobby the federal government to amend laws so paedophiles can be stripped of their super, which is currently a protected asset.
Instead, they want that money to go to child sex abuse survivors.
In January, West – a former Neighbours and Underbelly star – revealed that she was sexually abused as a child, which led to her seeking help for a range of health issues.
She said the notion that paedophiles could hold onto their wealth, while their survivors struggled, should be "upsetting for the entire society".
"The idea of someone rubbing their hands together while they're serving their slap-on-the-wrist prison term … can come out and go on with their life unscathed … is upsetting," she said.
"Whereas the victims have a cross of blame, shame, and an inability to function in society. They have a life sentence so to speak.
"And even more galling is the people who become responsible for their therapy are the taxpayer."
West said the idea of adults preying on children was uncomfortable, but "our society condones a conspiracy of silence" and it was happening "in numbers we cannot comprehend".
She said she did not come forward about her abuse for decades because she felt alone, but was speaking out now to influence change.
"It takes one person to stand up and say that's not right for the whole dialogue to change," she said.
"If there's an opportunity for me to be that person, then what I went through has been worth it because if it means even one person will feel compelled or safe to come forward, then my pain has been justified."
She said stripping paedophiles of their wealth could be a way to deter them.
Changes first suggested five years ago
Under current federal bankruptcy laws, there is no provision allowing perpetrators' super to be used for compensation or redress.
The changes were first mooted in federal parliament in 2018, but nothing was done.
Then-independent federal Senate candidate Nick Xenophon tried to revive it last year.
In January, Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones announced the government planned to change the laws before putting its proposal out for consultation.
The proposal only gives survivors access to "additional" contributions made into an offender's super fund, and advocates say that does not go far enough.
Mr Carpenter – who has represented many child sex abuse survivors – said he has been campaigning for three years for the loophole to be closed.
He said it should not just be convicted paedophiles who lose their super, but those who are sued by their survivors through the civil courts.
"The point of the Super for Survivors campaign is to ensure Australia is the most dangerous place on the planet to commit these sorts of crimes because not only will you lose your liberty, you will stand to lose everything you've worked hard for," he said.
He said the loophole was evident in the case of South Australian paedophile Peter Liddy.
In 2001, he had been the state's longest-serving magistrate when he was sentenced to 25 years' jail with a non-parole period of 18 years for sexually abusing children at a surf lifesaving club in the 1980s.
Seven claims for damages launched by his victims were later dropped because there was very little left of his estate.
His survivors were instead given $10,000 each from the State Government's victim compensation fund.
Mr Carpenter said former Bega Cheese boss Maurice Van Ryn — who will not be eligible for parole until 2029 — is another example of a paedophile who had hidden his assets in his super before being convicted.
The federal government has been contacted for comment.
