The Salvation Army, Australia Southern Territory

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The Salvation Army, Australian Southern Territory^[1] or (AUS) is one of two administrative territories^[2] that The Salvation Army is divided into within Australia and covers 4 states and 1 Australian territory of the country. The AUS is geographically sub-divided into 8 divisions,^[3] all under different Divisional Leaders, each reporting directly to the Territorial Commander, currently Commissioner Floyd Tidd. Its headquarters are located on Railway Road, in Blackburn, Victoria.^[4]

History

The Salvation Army in Australia, was not originally separated into two Territories, but existed administratively as one. It was known as The Australasian Territory from 1880 until it was renamed The Australian Territory in 1907, which it remained until the split into two territories in 1921.^[5]

Structure

The Salvation Army in Australia does not have a National Commander, as other territories may, but rather, each of its two Territories is responsible to International Headquarters (IHQ).

The Territorial Commander (TC) and Chief Secretary are appointed by the General, their role is to oversee and administer the work of The Salvation Army within the Territory, they are assisted by various other Secretaries (departmental heads) who are, in turn, responsible for overseeing their various branches of Army activity.

The TC is responsible for the Army's overall operation and mission, and the Chief Secretary is responsible for the territory's administration and daily operations. Senior executive Officers are, on the recommendation of the Territorial Commander, also appointed by the General.

All other Officer appointments within a Territory are the responsibility of the Territorial Commander and The Cabinet. This Cabinet refers to the territory's administrative System. The five member Administrative Cabinet – similar to a Board – determines policy and strategy for the Territory, particularly as it relates to the future.^[6]

Divisions

The AST is broken up into smaller administrative regions called Divisions, controlled by a Divisional Headquarters (or DHQ) and headed by Divisional Leaders. In the AST most of the states are more sparsely populated than the AET, and are each classified as separate divisions with their DHQ located in the state capital city. However, Victoria, is a more populous state and is therefore broke up into four divisions:^[7]

Australian sex abuse cases

From the 1940s to the 1980s the Salvation Army in Australia sheltered approximately 30,000 children. In 2006 the Australian division of The Salvation Army acknowledged that sexual abuse may have occurred during this time and issued an apology. In it, the Army explicitly rejected a claim, made by a party unnamed in the apology, that there were as many as 500 potential claimants.^[8]

In 2013 it was reported that private settlements totaling A$15.5 million had been made in Victoria relating to 474 abuse cases; a Salvation Army spokesman said that "This should not have happened and this was a breach of the trust placed in us" and that they were "deeply sorry" whilst claiming that the abuse was "the result of individuals and not a culture within the organization."^[9][10][11]

On 28 January 2014, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, a royal commission of inquiry initiated in 2013 by the Australian Government and supported by all of its state governments,^[12] began an investigation into abuse cases at homes under the managements and direction of The Salvation Army, Australia Eastern Territory in both Queensland and New South Wales.^{[13][14][15][16][17][18][19]}

See also

• The Salvation Army in Australia
• The Salvation Army, Australia Eastern Territory

References