Church Clears Hollingworth for Ministry Despite Abuse Misconduct

Former governor-general Peter Hollingworth has been cleared to continue in a limited ministry role despite an independent Anglican church panel finding him guilty of misconduct in his handling of child sex abuse allegations.

The 88-year-old was found by the Professional Standards Board for the Diocese of Melbourne to have committed misconduct in seven of ten complaints against him stemming from his time as Archbishop of Brisbane during the 1990s. Yet the board determined he poses no unacceptable risk to others if he operates within restricted and clearly defined duties—a conditional verdict that neither fully exonerated nor permanently excluded him from church life.

The ruling culminates a more than five-year investigation into Hollingworth's response to abuse complaints during his tenure. After a private hearing spanning four days in February—conducted by Kooyoora, an independent body responsible for vetting clergy—the board found sufficient grounds to sustain misconduct findings on the majority of allegations examined.

Hollingworth himself acknowledged the board's conclusions, stating he "made mistakes" he cannot reverse. In a carefully composed statement, the former head of state reflected on three decades of personal anguish over his handling of the matters, attributing his failures in part to limited experience with abuse issues at the time and deference to legal and insurance advisors—a rationale that echoes broader institutional failings documented across the Anglican Church during the same era.

The church hierarchy, however, signalled a sterner accountability. Philip Freier, the current Melbourne Anglican Archbishop, announced formal reprimand proceedings targeting two specific failures: Hollingworth's decision to retain clergy members he knew to be offenders, and his documented communications with victims that were characterized as harsh and insensitive. Freier pledged the diocese would issue a comprehensive statement and maintain liaison with Victoria's Commission for Children and Young People to ensure Hollingworth meets his legal obligations going forward.

Central to the resolution is a formal apology the former archbishop must deliver to those harmed during his leadership—a requirement grounded in findings that he had failed to respond appropriately to multiple abuse allegations, including one against a teacher at Toowoomba Preparatory School.

The matter had become impossible to ignore after Hollingworth's appointment as Australia's 23rd governor-general in 2001. By 2003, mounting public revelations about his inaction on abuse complaints forced his resignation from the vice-regal office. Church critics had demanded his defrocking—complete removal from ministry. The investigation also required Hollingworth to deny explosive allegations that he had sexually assaulted a woman decades earlier, during the 1960s.

The board's verdict permitting continued service under conditions represented a compromise: acknowledgment of serious failure without complete ecclesiastical separation. Some viewed it as proportionate accountability; others as insufficient given the seriousness of the misconduct. Hollingworth expressed hope the recommendations would at last allow "these matters finally being put to rest" after thirty years of private reflection.