A Christian organisation that ran a Northern Territory home where Indigenous children were sexually abused says it cannot afford to compensate its victims because that would mean curtailing its missionary work.



Darwin’s Retta Dixon home was run by the Aborigines Inland Mission – now the Australian Indigenous Ministries, or AIM – from 1946 until 1980 when abuses were perpetrated against resident Indigenous children who had been stolen from their families.

AIM general director the Rev Trevor Leggott, who has headed the organisation since 1996, and says he did not know of the abuse claims – some of which date back more than 60 years – before last week.

He made a formal apology to victims a day before his appearance on Tuesday at the royal commission into institutional responses to child abuse sitting in Darwin.

He said AIM had few resources and could not afford to pay compensation, but then admitted under questioning that it owned several properties worth $4.1m.

Leggott said he had not considered selling the two not tied up in trusts to offer victims redress, as that would mean cutting back some of its ministries.

“I’m not sure what money does in terms of compensation, to be honest,” he told the commission.

“The hurt that’s been caused to these people is not going to be fixed by money.”

John Lawrence, representing several victims, asked: “Why can’t you and your brethren do the right thing, sell your assets, put your money into a fund so these people who have been horrendously abused at the hands of your staff can be compensated like any other Australian citizen would expect?

“Because I believe what we are doing now is more constructive than that would be,” Leggott replied.

In 1966, Retta Dixon carer Reginald Powell pleaded guilty to three counts of indecent assault against three boys.

In 1973, carer Lola Wall reported allegations of sexual abuse by her colleague Donald Henderson to management, meriting a visit by a representative from the Sydney headquarters who said there was a lack of evidence.

After more forceful complaints by another missionary two years later, Henderson was committed to stand trial in 1976 for raping and molesting several children, although prosecutors dropped the charges.

But Leggott said none of these events were recorded in AIM files.

He was also unaware of Henderson’s second committal to stand trial for separate sexual abuses of Retta Dixon children in 2002 when he was AIM’s general director.

“That shocked me, actually, when I saw the date, because I thought, ‘Fair enough, if something happened in 1975 we’re not going to hear about it, but in 2002 why wasn’t I informed?’” he told the commission.

He later recalled hearing third-hand that “something happened some time” at the home relating to sexual abuse but made no inquiries, and didn’t investigate whether AIM had provided any counselling or compensation to complainants.

He said he and his colleagues were “disgusted” to learn of the abuses committed at the home but could not take responsibility for what was done by others so long ago.

He said he would not accept responsibility on behalf of AIM to compensate the victims.

The inquiry continues.