The Impact of International Reports on the Australian Royal Commission’s Report into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse with Regard to the Catholic Church

In December 2017, the Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse published its 17-volume report. Books 1 and 2 of Volume 16 were focused on religious institutions, especially on the Catholic Church where the incidence of child abuse was highest. In its methodology, findings and recommendations, the Royal Commission was heavily influenced by 17 prior government- and Church-sponsored inquiries in Belgium, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, the UK and the US. This article describes in some detail these reports, and assesses through a quantitative citation analysis the impact of these major international reports on the work of the Royal Commission, especially the eight most influential. They added to the credibility, moral authority and depth of the Royal Commission report.