Christian Brothers

Edmund Rice Education Australia has agreed to fully compensate abuse survivors after reversing its position under public pressure. The organization, which received property holdings from the Christian Brothers, can now be sued over abuse claims, following the Brothers' earlier claim of insolvency.

Australian taxpayers may cover up to $65m in payouts to abuse survivors if the Christian Brothers, a Catholic order with a history of child abuse, goes bankrupt. Court documents reveal the order cannot afford to settle redress claims from hundreds of victims.

Abuse survivors are seeking to transfer compensation claims to Edmund Rice Education Australia, which they allege benefited from the Christian Brothers' wealth. The entity refuses to be made a defendant, prompting a potential high court battle as the Christian Brothers face hundreds of abuse cases worth $774m.

The Christian Brothers retained nine convicted child abusers as members of its religious order, citing a 'Gospel imperative' to 'care for all Brothers' and 'the needy'. Court documents show the order sought financial support from the Holy See six months before declaring it could not afford to pay survivors of abuse.

The federal government expressed concerns that the Christian Brothers Catholic order may have inappropriately transferred millions in assets years before claiming insolvency, potentially depriving abuse survivors of payments. A New South Wales supreme court ordered a moratorium on abuse claims against the order, which was central to a child sexual abuse scandal.