BackPeople in positions of authority at Puffing Billy and other Victorian railway groups protected the reputation of their organisations at the expense of children who were sexually abused, the Victorian Ombudsman has found. Tabling her Investigation into child sex offender Robert Whitehead’s involvement with Puffing Billy and other railway bodies in the Victorian Parliament, Ombudsman Deborah Glass said the failures of people in authority were monumental.
“Whitehead was a life-long offender whose abuse was facilitated by the wilful blindness, indifference or ineptitude of a succession of organisations from Victorian Railways to Puffing Billy,” Ms Glass said. “The actions or inaction of people in positions of authority, who should have known better, is inexcusable. We do not know, and will never know, how many children Whitehead abused.”
Whitehead died in prison in 2015 after being convicted of child sexual offences dating back to the 1960s. He had first been convicted of child sex offences in 1959. Immediately after his 1960 release from prison, he was re-employed by Victorian Railways, using his status as a Train Controller to groom children. He was a volunteer at Puffing Billy, a preserved steam railway in Victoria’s Dandenong Ranges, from 1961-1991.
Ms Glass said through his 30-year involvement with Puffing Billy, Whitehead had unrestricted access to children including supervising overnight working parties. Her investigation found members of the Puffing Billy Board were aware of allegations Whitehead was abusing children but never reported these matters to police, considered whether it was appropriate that he remain in the organisation, or put in place any mechanisms to monitor his conduct or restrict his access to children.
“In 1985 members of the Board knew that Whitehead was under police investigation for child sexual offences yet he was not removed until 1991,” Ms Glass said. “They failed to act on complaints or even record contacts, in one notable case punishing the 17-year-old victim by banning him from Puffing Billy.”
Ms Glass commended the courage and persistence of the survivors of the abuse. She said it was pleasing that the Minister for Tourism and the Emerald Tourist Railway Board (which runs Puffing Billy) had accepted her recommendation that all victims receive a public apology. “The survivors of the abuse of Whitehead and other Puffing Billy offenders may never receive justice; nothing can compensate for the trauma and loss of innocence experienced by victims and survivors,” Ms Glass said. “But whatever redress they choose to pursue, they deserve nothing less than the verification of facts, public disclosure of truth, and public apologies.”
Ms Glass made nine recommendations in total, all of which were accepted by the Minister, the Board or the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources. Other key recommendations include:
- the government establish a unit to assist members of the public who claim to have experienced child sexual abuse perpetrated by an adult member of Puffing Billy, so they can seek redress
- the ETRB implement the Child Safe Standards recommended by the Royal Commission, to ensure that the best interests of children are a primary consideration.
For more information, read the Investigation into child sex offender Robert Whitehead’s involvement with Puffing Billy and other railway bodies report on the website of the Ombudsman.
Source: Victorian Ombudsman
