Australian taxpayers could be forced to cover up to $65m in payouts to hundreds of abuse victims when a failing arm of the Catholic church disappears, new court documents reveal.
Last month, the Christian Brothers, a Catholic order with a shocking record of child abuse, informed a court it was going broke and would not be able to afford to pay out survivors.
The move has affected hundreds of cases brought either through the civil courts or through the government-run national redress scheme, which allows survivors to seek capped amounts of compensation without going to court.
An actuarial report detailing the state of the Christian Brothers finances was released to the media on Monday, alongside other court documents.
The report reveals…