Qld: Beattie meets with abuse victim
BRISBANE, April 16 AAP - Queensland Premier Peter Beattie has met with a victim ofconvicted child sex abuser and former Labor MP Bill D'Arcy.
Mr Beattie was condemned by child protection groups and the opposition last week forrefusing to meet the victim, who first approached him a year ago.
The premier told state parliament today he and Attorney-General Rod Welford had metthe woman for an hour last night.
D'Arcy is serving a 10-year jail term for molesting children at a country Queenslandschool when he was a teacher in the 1960s.
Mr Beattie said the meeting with the woman was positive and constructive and a numberof ideas raised by the victim about the treatment of victims would be considered by thegovernment.
The premier said the government was committed to protecting children from abuse.
To this end, statewide criminal checks on volunteers who worked with children wouldbegin on May 1.
Those cleared will receive a "suitability card", which will last two years.
AAP pjo/sc/las
KEYWORD: ABUSE QLD
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