St Patrick's College among Victorian schools facing historical child abuse claims

Arnold Thomas & Becker Lawyers is pursuing matters on behalf of almost 300 former students who allege they were sexually abused.

Melbourne's Brighton Grammar and Christian Brothers College in Warrnambool face most claims from the firm as of Wednesday, August 2, with 12 apiece.

Eight former students levelled claims at Rosebud High School on the Mornington Peninsula, making it Arnold Thomas & Becker's third-highest caseload for Victorian school-based abuse claims.

The vast majority of schools in question had one or two former students pursuing claims, but abuse practice head Kim Price believed more alleged victims were yet to come forward.

"When we first hear about abuse at a school, our investigations often reveal there are multiple victims of a single predator," Mr Price said.

"School should be a place where children feel safe.

"Instead, we are hearing from students from across the country that they have been subjected to sexual abuse by teachers and other members of school staff."

The schools the law firm is pursuing cut across Victoria's education sector and include primary and secondary, public, religious, independent and specialist.

More than 70 state schools are among those facing claims.

Some knew about allegations but failed to follow up or instead sought to cover up abuse, Mr Price alleged.

"We are working with hundreds of clients who, as children, endured severe sexual, physical and psychological abuse throughout their formative years and that has had a profound impact on the rest of their lives," he said.

The Victorian government in June moved to set up a special board of inquiry into allegations surrounding Beaumaris Primary School in Melbourne's southeast in the 1960s and 1970s.

At least three former staff, who also worked at other government schools, are believed to have been involved in the abuse.

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In light of the fresh claims, Opposition Leader John Pesutto said there was a clear case for a broader inquiry into other government schools.

"We've taken the position that the inquiry, to be just and to be comprehensive, needs to allow victims to be able to come calling," he said.

Education Minister Natalie Hutchins said the government could expand the inquiry beyond its main purpose to establish an official record of the Beaumaris school's victim-survivors and examine abuse by staff members.

"The terms of reference do allow for an expansion," she told reporters at state parliament.

"The Beaumaris situation is a unique situation in that there were multiple predators involved in that case.

"The reach and the effects of their offending has gone beyond the school gates and certainly there may be other cases that arise and we've accommodated for that."

The government has promised an apology to abused former Beaumaris students and set aside $4.5 million to support victim-survivors and run the inquiry.

Mr Price said victims needed more than an apology and warned against abused former students resorting to the government's redress scheme, which caps compensation at $150,000 for each person.

Each of the alleged victims could receive multimillion dollar payouts, Mr Price said.

Cathedral College, De La Salle College, Derinya Primary School, Geelong Grammar School and Kardinia International College are among the schools being pursued.

In 2017, St Patrick's College made a formal apology to victims of sexual abuse who suffered during their time at the school.

"This was harm that can never be measured and can never be undone. For this we apologise," then-headmaster John Crowley said at a special event.

- WITH AAP

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