The Anglican church’s professional standards body is rechecking its decision on Peter Hollingworth for errors almost two weeks after circulating a version that mistakenly gave a survivor her abuser’s surname.
Last month the church’s professional standards board found that Hollingworth should be kept in the church despite six findings of misconduct against him, including that he failed to act to remove pedophiles while archbishop of Brisbane in the 1990s.
The 78-page decision and an accompanying summary, which was first circulated to parties on 24 April, contained basic errors.
It erroneously named Beth Heinrich, one of two survivors who complained in the matter, as “Beth Shearman”, giving her the surname of her abuser, Donald Shearman.
The decision also attracted criticism for its use of the pseudonym “BYB” to describe the second complainant, which created confusion between two abuse survivors, one of whom was not directly involved in the professional standards complaint process.
The confusion prompted the complainant to raise the issue with Kooyoora, the organisation that handles complaints about church members, though it is not clear whether or how it will be addressed.
But Guardian Australia can reveal the board responsible for last month’s judgment is considering whether it needs to amend parts of its decision.
The professional standards board secretary, Nicholas Bird, said the parties had been asked to propose changes to the judgment, both to correct errors and better protect the identities of witnesses and complainants.
That process is ongoing, despite the decision having been circulated nearly two weeks ago.
“As you would be aware, the parties received the board’s recommendations and determination on April 24,” Bird said. “The parties have since been given the opportunity to propose amendments to the above-said documents, to ensure that witnesses and complainants are de-identified and to correct any errors that may have arisen.
“The board is currently considering the proposals.”
Bird said he could not divulge details of what amendments it was considering.
Heinrich’s lawyer Judy Courtin said she had asked for the erroneous surname to be corrected. The board has told her it has been corrected.
Heinrich told Guardian Australia: “They can’t get my name right, so what does that show you? They can’t get anything right.”
The second complainant has already spoken with Kooyoora and is awaiting a response from the church on whether it will correct the error.
“I have not received an explanation of how the tribunal seems to have not bothered to get the facts straight of my relationship to the case,” he said. “I was not communicated with for about two years prior to the hearing. I was not advised that the tribunal was finally coming to proceed. I was not asked if I wanted to participate, although the tribunal report stated that it was under the impression that I didn’t.”
Kooyoora said it had spoken to the man who had complained about the use of the BYB pseudonym and was awaiting the publication of the final report by the professional standards board.
The board last month found that Hollingworth had failed to act on knowledge of abuse by Shearman and John Elliot. But it said that there was “no unacceptable risk of harm to any person” if Hollingworth continued to conduct his limited priestly duties, provided he apologised and is reprimanded.
Hollingworth is not accused of any abuse towards children. In a media statement after the ruling, he said he had “made some mistakes” but added he “committed no crimes”.
The bishop was Australia’s 23rd governor general but was forced to resign in 2003. He returned to the church but retains a lucrative pension and expense allowance due to his status as a former governor general. The Greens senator David Shoebridge is leading a push to strip former governors general of entitlements where they have been found to have engaged in serious misconduct.
Guardian Australia revealed in March that Victoria’s child safety commission had quietly launched an investigation into the Anglican Melbourne diocese’s handling of child safety complaints in the wake of criticism over its handling of the Hollingworth case.
