11/09/2026
It has been a good few days for the survivor cause.
MEDIA RELEASE
A WIN FOR SURVIVORS: WA GOVERNMENT FUNDS SPECIALIST SUPPORT FOR MALE SURVIVORS OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE
After years of advocacy, Recommendation 20 will become a reality with SAMSN establishing specialist services in Western Australia
PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA – September 2026
Survivors of Child Abuse (SOCA) has welcomed a decision by the Western Australian Government to fund Survivors & Mates Support Network (SAMSN) to establish specialist services for adult male survivors of child sexual abuse in Western Australia.
The decision means that when SOCA concludes its volunteer-run peer support service on 1 October 2026, Western Australian men will not be left without specialist support.
Instead, SAMSN will commence services in WA from October, initially providing fortnightly peer support meetings alternating between face-to-face and online meetings.
As SAMSN establishes its presence in Perth, the service will work towards providing Western Australian survivors with access to its broader suite of specialist services.
SOCA Chairperson Terry Martino said the announcement represented the outcome survivors had hoped for when they gave evidence to the Parliamentary Inquiry Seeking Justice: Improving Options for Survivors of Institutional Child Abuse.
“This is an extraordinary outcome for survivors in Western Australia.”
“For years, adult male survivors in WA have had very few places specifically designed to support them. The Inquiry listened to survivors, recognised that gap and provided a practical solution through Recommendation 20. Today, we can finally say that recommendation is becoming a reality.”
In 2024, the Community Development and Justice Standing Committee recommended that the WA Government invite SAMSN to establish a gender-specific service in Western Australia.
SOCA Founder Jarrod Luscombe said the decision fundamentally changed what the closure of SOCA would mean for the men it supports.
“A few weeks ago, I was preparing to tell Western Australia that our service was closing and that once again there would be nowhere specifically for adult male survivors to turn.”
“Today, I get to tell those same men something completely different: the support isn't disappearing. It is growing. That means more to me than I can adequately put into words.”
SOCA acknowledged Minister for Communities Jessica Stojkovski and government officials who worked to secure the outcome.
“When Government listens and responds, that deserves recognition.” Mr Luscombe said.
Mr Martino recently visited SAMSN’s Sydney operations and said he was impressed by the quality
of its services and understanding of the needs of male survivors.
“I am completely confident that the men who have trusted SOCA will be in very good hands.”
THE SILENT EPIDEMIC HASN'T DISAPPEARED
A Continuing Need
While celebrating the announcement, SOCA says the establishment of SAMSN in Western Australia should also focus attention on the scale and lifelong consequences of childhood sexual abuse.
One in five Australian men have experienced child sexual abuse*.
Yet many men never disclose what happened to them, while those who do can take decades to speak about their abuse.
Mr Luscombe said this silence has allowed the true scale of childhood sexual abuse—and its consequences for Australian society—to remain largely hidden.
“Child sexual abuse remains one of our society's last great taboos. We don't talk about it around the kitchen table. We don't talk about it over a b**r with our mates. And because we don't talk about it, we underestimate just how many people around us are carrying it.”
“The abused child grows up. He becomes a husband, a father, a colleague and a mate. The trauma doesn't simply disappear when he turns 18.”
“We see its consequences throughout our mental health system, hospitals, homelessness services, addiction services, families and justice system. Supporting adult survivors isn't just about dealing with something that happened decades ago. It's about changing what happens in their lives today.”
Mr Luscombe said the Government's decision demonstrated what could happen when survivor voices, evidence and political leadership came together.
“Now, for the first time, I can step away from running the support service knowing that something stronger and more sustainable is taking its place.”
SOCA will continue its advocacy for survivors and the implementation of the outstanding recommendations of the Seeking Justice Parliamentary Inquiry.
“This is a significant victory, but it isn't the end of the work,” Mr Martino said.
“There are still recommendations from the Inquiry requiring action and there are still thousands of Western Australians living with the consequences of childhood abuse.”
“What this decision shows is that change is possible.”
Mr Luscombe said the outcome belonged to the survivors who had found the courage to speak.
“To every survivor who gave evidence to the Royal Commission, spoke to the Parliamentary Inquiry, attended a SOCA meeting or simply found the courage to tell another person what happened to them—this matters.”
“For once, survivors spoke, people listened, and something changed.”
We cannot change what happened to survivors. But together, we can change what happens next.
The Importance of an Independent Media
SOCA also acknowledged the important role the media has played in bringing the experiences of adult survivors of child sexual abuse into public conversation.
Recent coverage across radio, television, print and online media helped bring public attention to the impending closure of SOCA's peer support service and the consequences of leaving Recommendation 20 unimplemented.
“For years we have said that child abuse remains a silent epidemic, and breaking that silence requires people who are prepared to have difficult conversations,” Mr Luscombe said.
“The media has played an incredibly important role in giving survivors a voice and taking issues that are often discussed behind closed doors and putting them before the broader community and those with the power to create change.”
“Good journalism doesn't simply report what Government does. It asks why decisions are made, examines their consequences and gives a voice to people who might otherwise never be heard.”
“We are enormously grateful to the journalists and media organisations who have treated survivors and this issue with sensitivity, respect and a genuine willingness to understand.”
“Silence protects abuse. Conversation protects people. The media has helped us start those conversations.”
• Australian Child Maltreatment Study (ACMS), 18.8% of Australian males (approximately
1 in 5 boys) are survivors of child sexual abuse (CSA) before reaching the age of 18.
