Confidentiality Agreement: A confidentiality agreement, is a legal contract between at least two parties that outlines confidential materials or knowledge the parties wish to share with one another for certain purposes, but wish to restrict access to.

A confidentiality agreement seems straight forward enough, if you sign the agreement, don’t ever talk about it.

That is of course unless you’re a child abuse victim, then it’s ok to pocket $60,000 and ignore the agreement you signed, cry foul and secretly hope you can get more money.

That’s exactly what at least one victim has done regarding a confidentiality agreement agreed upon by St. John’s ambulance and themselves regarding paedophile Robert John Wright. Mr. Wright was a volunteer with St. Johns and sexually assaulted 12 boys over a period of fifteen years.

Three of the boys signed confidentiality agreements with St. Johns last year in exchange for $60,000 compensation.

Aside from $60,000 being such an appalling amount to accept for being abused, the fact that I read about it probably means at least one of the three victims has spent it all already and is hungry for more.

“They wiped their hands of us,” one victim said.

“They are a disgraceful organisation, disgraceful.

“I was disgusted, totally disgusted. I don’t think they should give compensation, then put restrictions on it like that.”

One of the victims said he regretted signing the confidentiality clause.

“I wasn’t pressured into it, but it was easier to do that or I’d still be in court now,” he said.

“It’s a gag order, I’m not even supposed to discuss (the details) with family.”

But somehow it’s ok to discuss it with a Victorian newspaper?

Now admittedly the Herald Sun haven’t published any details of the event but really, you’d think St. Johns wouldn’t be stupid enough to not include talking about the ‘gag order’ in the agreement itself.

At the end of the day it doesn’t matter if you regret signing your innocence away for $60,000, what matters is you signed on the dotted line.

Infact the only motivation I can see behind breaking the confidentially agreement is the hope that some crafty lawyer might contact one of the victims and launch a case against St. Johns in an effort to grab more money.

I don’t for a second support paedophilia but St. Johns in response to Mr Wrights actions put an offer out there and it was accepted. You don’t have the right a year later to then just forget that and start blabbering about how hard done by you were by the giant evil mega corporation charity.

If anything you lose credibility as the focal point becomes the money as you’ve already missed getting your story out legitimately through the courts against St. Johns and the possibility of being awarded more money.

With the catholic church setting compensation precedents left right and centre you’d have thought this would have been the logical thing to do.

The Sunday Herald Sun asked the CEO of St John in Victoria, Stephen Horton, why the payments had been made and why the gag orders had been included.

“We don’t have a response due to the confidentiality agreements we have in place,” he said.

Oh gee Herald Sun, I wonder why the gag orders were included? It seems completely random and unnecessary, I mean I’m sure the boys wouldn’t have talked to anyone had there not been a confidentiality agreement attached to the compensation money.

It’s not like St. Johns is a charity or anything and relies on public funding to operate, why not let the actions of an individual take down an entire organisation with it.

I know it’s not going to be the popular thing to do but I secretly wish St Johns would take this clown to court and get their $60,000 back.

Meanwhile I hope Mr. Wright, who is now a free man, gets hit by a bus.


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