An inquiry into historical child sexual abuse at a Melbourne primary school in the 1960s and 1970s will investigate allegations at 18 other state schools where the same teachers also worked.
The Andrews government in June announced a board of inquiry into historical abuse allegations at Beaumaris primary school, in Melbourne’s south-east.
But on Thursday the inquiry revealed it will focus on at least three perpetrators who were involved with 18 Victorian schools, as it called for submissions.
The inquiry’s terms of reference means it can only investigate allegations at schools where there is a link to Beaumaris primary. The 18 Victorian schools named are where the same teachers from Beaumaris had also worked.
The Andrews government has also flagged the inquiry’s scope could be widened to include allegations at other schools if evidence was uncovered.
The inquiry’s chair, Kathleen Foley, SC, said the probe will be guided by the needs of victim-survivors.
“We’ll be creating an official public record of victim survivor experiences so that they can be seen, heard and acknowledged in the way that they deserve to be in sharing their experiences,” she said.
“We want to be part of the process of healing for all those affected.”
Foley said the inquiry had identified a former Beaumaris teacher, Gary Mitchell, as one of the perpetrators. The inquiry said it would name other perpetrators when it was able to do so.
Since the late 1990s, Mitchell has been sentenced five times for child sexual abuse offences committed between 1967 and 2001.
Mitchell worked at a number of Victorian schools, including Warragul Technical school, Dandenong North primary school, Dandenong West primary school, Beaconsfield Upper primary school, Emerald primary school, Cranbourne primary school – where he was the deputy principal – and Bunyip primary school, where he was principal for eight years.
Foley, a commissioner at the Victorian Law Reform Commission, said the inquiry would hear testimonies of people abused by staff and contractors at schools between the 1960s and end of the 1990s, who had also worked at Beaumaris.
Anyone who thought they had relevant information should come forward even if they are unsure if it was in the inquiry’s scope, Foley said. Members of the public can choose to provide information anonymously.
“We will respect people’s preferences in how they share their information with us,” Foley said.
Public hearings for the inquiry will commence later this month and some testimonies will be given in private.
The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, has pledged to deliver a formal apology to recognise abuse victim-survivors who attended Beaumaris primary school, and has described the abuse as “vile, evil and incredibly damaging”.
The apology will be separate to a wider apology the government is due to deliver later this year that will recognise historical child abuse in institutional care settings like orphanages. Guardian Australia reported in January that survivors of abuse at Beaumaris primary school in the 1960s and 1970s were pushing for a formal apology by the state government.
The inquiry will also investigate the state’s education department knowledge and response to abuse. It said it would take its role seriously to discover “an explanation for any action and inaction in relation to child sexual abuse”.
Lawyer John Rule from Maurice Blackburn, who is handling several cases against the department on behalf of alleged Beaumaris victims, previously told Guardian Australia the department had developed a reputation for being “aggressive” in defending claims.
The opposition’s treasury spokesperson, Brad Rowswell, whose electorate of Sandringham takes in Beaumaris, has previously pushed for a state-wide parliamentary inquiry into the allegations of abuse in public schools.
The inquiry is due to report to the Andrews government by the end of February.
• In Australia, children, young adults, parents and teachers can contact the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or Bravehearts on 1800 272 831, and adult survivors can contact Blue Knot Foundation on 1300 657 380. In the UK, the NSPCC offers support to children on 0800 1111, and adults concerned about a child on 0808 800 5000. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) offers support for adult survivors on 0808 801 0331. In the US, call or text the Childhelp abuse hotline on 800-422-4453. Other sources of help can be found at Child Helplines International
