Maitland Evangelical Church leaders Steven Doust, Roger Burgess accused of covering up child abuse in Sue Higginson speech
Parliament also heard that Bear wrote a complaint to the church oversight body after learning Burgess was to be promoted to national director of the Fellowship of Evangelical Churches in 2023. The Brotherhood refused to investigate.
Bear then hired a lawyer, who contacted the Office of the Children’s Guardian, the NSW government body that oversees child protection complaints.
But the couple were told the complaint was outside the office’s remit. The guard’s inspector, Stephanie Menear, was allegedly affiliated with the church.
“[The office] “There was a potential undeclared conflict of interest with the senior investigator in the Child Protection Office, who was allegedly a former child protection officer of the Anglican diocese of Sydney, a diocese with close links to the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches,” Higginson said.
“It is an offense for an adult to conceal child abuse offenses and fail to report such offenses to the NSW Police Force.”
He called on the executor to revoke Burgess and Doust’s Working with Children Checks and launch a full investigation into the allegations, the church and its national oversight body.
Bruce Bennett, national director of the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches, denied that the organization failed to adequately investigate Burgess or the allegations against Briggs.
“[The fellowship] Called for an independent investigation to ensure the situation was handled with honesty and care [which] found that the church and its leaders met all legal and reporting requirements,” he said.
Bennett said the church had made a “deliberate effort” to follow the royal commission’s guidance on avoiding practices that could inadvertently re-traumatize victims, adding that the church had consulted and followed the guidance of a number of independent professionals.
“[The organisation] cares deeply about the safety and welfare of children and all vulnerable people in our churches. “We regret the damage caused by the abuse,” he said.
