The New South Wales Government has put off tackling the thorny issue of forcing priests to reveal abuse they learn about in the confessional, despite the Commonwealth saying it is largely a state responsibility.

The NSW Government has unveiled its formal response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, accepting 336 of the recommendations.

The Government says criminals who repeatedly sexually abuse young people will face being jailed for life in the state.

Repeat offenders will be jailed for life. ( Flickr: Caro )

But the recommendation to force priests to break the seal of the confessional to report abuse is among 14 recommendations being subjected to further consideration.

The response differs from South Australia, where the State Government removed the exemption for priests from mandatory reporting when the information was divulged during confession.

From October 1, South Australian clergy will be legally obliged to report any confessions of child sex abuse or face a $10,000 fine.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the Government's response would ensure institutions that care for children provide safe places to learn, play and live.

"I want all those who came forward to the royal commission to know that we have listened and are acting to prevent the abuse they suffered from ever happening again," Ms Berejiklian said.

Attorney-General Mark Speakman said the Government would make it harder for institutions to evade responsibility for abuse by introducing legislation this year to create two new forms of liability.

It will give institutions a new statutory duty to prevent child abuse, creating new offences for failing to report abuse or protect against it in the first place.

"This includes making it easier to take legal action against institutions which could previously rely on legal loopholes like trusts as well as removing any statute of limitations," Mr Speakman said.

Government increases penalties for offenders

However, while the royal commission recommended the new "failure to report" offence apply to knowledge gained during religious confession, the State Government has stopped short of that.

Its response to that recommendation said: "whether or how the offence will apply to members of the clergy where the information about an offence was gathered through religious confessions is a complex issue that has been referred to the Council of Attorney's-General for national consideration."

The Government moved to pass laws creating new life sentences for persistent child abusers this week.

While a life sentence previously could apply for those who repeatedly abused children aged under 10, there was only a 25-year maximum for the abuse of older children.

But that will now change, with all persistent abusers of minors facing the same maximum sentence of life

'Religion put ahead of child safety'

Greens MP David Shoebridge said the Government's refusal to break the seal of the confessional was a "symbolic and practical failure that left children at risk" and tainted what was an otherwise positive response to the Royal Commission's recommendations.

"No government and no political party should ever put its religious beliefs ahead of protecting children.

"Every day this secrecy remains, there is another priest, there is another child abuser who is getting away from justice because priests are not coming forward and telling the police the truth and that is a fundamental shame on the NSW Parliament and the NSW government for not implementing this."

Care Leavers Australasia Network CEO Leoni Sheedy said it was "gutless" of the Government not to decide on the issue of the confessional.

"What's the point of responding to the Royal Commission if you're not going to respond that that very important part?" she said.

She said NSW did not put a submission into the senate inquiry into children in institutional care prior to the royal commission, and by not addressing the confessional it showed "a pattern of NSW not caring about the state's most vulnerable children and caring more about the church".

Ms Sheedy commended the decision to impose life sentences for repeat offenders.

"If you're going to be a repeat offender, why should you get any freedom?" she said.

"If you're a paedophile, the first time you do it you know that you have hurt a child, how can you be so brazen to do it again?"

The Government's full response to the Royal Commission can be found here.