An inquiry will be held into allegations of historical child sexual abuse at a Victorian school amid mounting pressure from victim-survivors and legal experts.
Premier Daniel Andrews on Wednesday announced a special board of inquiry into the alleged abuse at the Beaumaris Primary School in Melbourne's southeast in the 1960s and 1970s.
"We now have numerous cases of vile, evil, incredibly damaging abuse, sexual abuse, and it's today that we take a big step forward," Mr Andrews told reporters.
The inquiry will establish an official record of the experiences of school victim-survivors and examine abuse by a school employee at other government schools.
Kathleen Foley SC will head the inquiry and deliver a final report to the state government by February 28, 2024.
Shadow treasurer Brad Rowswell has been lobbying the government for action on behalf of victim-survivors and has previously said a parliamentary inquiry is overdue.
Mr Andrews met with victim-survivors of child sexual abuse, including from Beaumaris Primary School, earlier this year and vowed to deliver a landmark apology in parliament.
In January there were renewed calls for justice from victim-survivors who were abused by predatory teachers at state schools during the 1960s and 1970s.
It comes after a number of charges were laid against an 82-year-old Queensland man as part of an ongoing police investigation into reported sexual assaults linked to the Beaumaris school.
Last week, the former teacher was slapped with 26 counts of indecent assault on a male and is set to appear in Melbourne Magistrates Court on July 7.
The charges relate to alleged sexual assaults dating back to the 1960s and 1970s by a teacher at the school.
In 2013, the federal government established a Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse which found institutions, including the Catholic Church, often failed to adequately protect children.
A national redress scheme was set up, along with sweeping reforms for religious institutions.
Former Liberal prime minister Scott Morrison delivered a national apology to victim-survivors in federal parliament in 2018. Ex-Victorian Liberal premier Steve Bracks issued a formal apology to a cohort dubbed "Forgotten Australians" in 2006.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
Lifeline 13 11 14
Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25)
