The Australian state of Victoria has passed a new mandatory reporting law, which does not respect the Seal of the Confessional. The bill had broad support among legislators, and passed the upper house comfortably. Premier Daniel Andrews remarked: “The most important thing is to send a message that the law is to be taken seriously. If people don’t obey the law, then the penalties are very significant.”
The role of mandatory reporter is not new to Victoria, which passed its first mandatory reporting legislation a quarter of a century ago. What is new is the law’s disregard for the protection of the priest-penitent relationship. The priest-penitent relationship has been sacrosanct in Anglo-Saxon legal tradition for centuries. Until very recently, it has been almost universally recognised in some form.
