ADF abuse compensation for survivors of historical institutional abuse
Shine Lawyers’ trauma-informed Abuse Law team are compassionate and can be trusted with your ADF abuse compensation institutional abuse claim. Our mental health support team and No Win No Fee* abuse lawyers are ready to help you access justice and right wrong.
Australian Defence Force institutional abuse claims
You may be one of the thousands of school-age young Australians who were excited to be accepted into an ADF junior recruit or apprentice cadet training program between the 1950s and 1980s.
But your excitement may tragically have been replaced by trauma because the ADF didn’t sufficiently care for the teens in its care. If you’ve lived with the devastating impacts of a failure to protect you from child sexual abuse on ADF training sites, Shine Lawyers can help. You may be able to access justice and right wrong with an institutional abuse claim for ADF abuse compensation.
How an institutional abuse claim can help
Making an institutional abuse claim won’t erase what happened to you, but it may be an opportunity:
To hold the ADF to account
For the acknowledgement of what happened to you
For an apology
ADF sexual abuse compensation may help with the impact that abuse has had on your life.
Why choose Shine’s abuse lawyers for your institutional abuse claim?
Compassionate abuse lawyers
Shine Lawyers has one of Australia’s largest dedicated Abuse Law teams. We have decades of experience in helping thousands of survivors of historical institutional abuse seek justice. Our institutional abuse claims lawyers passionately advocate for our clients and are driven to stand up to powerful institutions to secure successful outcomes.
No Win No Fee* abuse lawyers
If you become a Shine Lawyers’ client, our dedicated institutional abuse claims lawyers will provide expert legal advice, tailored to your situation, on a No Win No Fee* basis. We’ll work with you to build your historical institutional abuse claim and explain each step of the legal process.
*Conditions apply
Trauma-informed support
We recognise your courage in speaking up. Wherever possible, we’ll work with you to minimise the stress and inconvenience of the legal process.
Our institutional abuse claims lawyers are trained to work in a trauma-informed way. Our mental health support team can help reduce the trauma of the legal process for both our lawyers and clients. We’ll be with you, every step of the way.
Locations of ADF historical institutional abuse
ADF locations on which historical institutional abuse is known to have occurred include:
New South Wales
HMAS Nirimba
Australian Army cadets training, Singleton
Army Recruit Training Centre Kapooka in Wagga Wagga
Victoria
HMAS Cerberus
Army Apprentice School, Balcombe
Western Australia
HMAS Leeuwin
If you’re a survivor of ADF sexual abuse at another ADF location, you may still have a claim. Get in touch with our trusted Abuse Law team.
A guide on supporting your loved one
We’ve created a conversation guide, to help you support your loved one through their childhood sexual abuse claim. The guide can help you understand the emotional impact of making a claim, a little about the legal process and where you can both find support.
Review your claim with our simple and free online tool.
What we will ask:
Questions to help us understand your experience and how your life has been impacted. Your responses will help us define the best course of action for your claim.
What happens next:
Book a confidential, obligation-free appointment with an experienced abuse lawyer, or
Speak with our team about your ADF abuse compensation options
ADF abuse compensation FAQs
Are there time limits to make an institutional abuse claim?
Are there time limits to make an institutional abuse claim?
There’s no time limit in Australia for making an institutional abuse claim for childhood ADF sexual abuse. This means that you may make a civil abuse claim decades after your childhood sexual abuse occurred.
Do you need an institutional abuse claims lawyer?
Do you need an institutional abuse claims lawyer?
It’s possible to represent yourself for your historical institutional abuse claim. However, at a challenging time, expert. Compassionate institutional abuse claims lawyers and mental health support team members are invaluable. They have the knowledge, compassion and empathy to help guide your claim and support you.
Can Shine Lawyers represent me for a National Redress Scheme payment?
Can Shine Lawyers represent me for a National Redress Scheme payment?
Understanding your legal options before applying for the National Redress Scheme is important. This advice can be provided for free by contacting Knowmore, an independent legal service provider.
Getting support for adult survivors of childhood ADF sexual abuse
Getting support for adult survivors of childhood ADF sexual abuse
In an emergency, please call 000. For ongoing professional support for you or your loved one, we suggest contacting any of the following organisations:
13 YARN 13 92 76 (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander crisis support)
Blue Knot 1300 657 380 (complex trauma due to abuse, neglect or violence)
Bravehearts free call 1800 272 831 (sexual abuse as a child)
Lifeline Australia 13 11 14 (24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention)
