In January 2013 the Australian Government established the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The terms of reference require the Royal Commission to inquire as what should be done to eliminate or reduce impediments that currently exist for responding appropriately to child sexual abuse and related matters in institutional contexts, including addressing failures in, and impediments to, reporting, investigating and responding to allegations and incidents of abuse. Further, the Commission is directed to focus on systemic issues and to be informed by an understanding of individual cases. In November 2013 the Royal Commission held a public hearing into the Anglican Diocese of Grafton's response to child sexual abuse at the North Coast Children's Home and in October 2014 published its Report.

On 1 July 2014 the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Australia passed the Canon Concerning Confessions 1989 (Amendment) Canon 2014, which creates a further exception to the confidentiality of a confession. Under this further exception, a member of the clergy is only required to keep the confession of a ‘serious offence’ confidential where reasonably satisfied that that the penitent has reported the serious offence to the police and, if the penitent is a church worker or a member of the clergy, to the Director of Professional Standards (section 2A(2)). In moving this Bill, I argued that the fundamental theological principle to which it gave expression is that the safety of the members of the Church and the public should be of paramount concern when considering the issue of the confidentiality of confessions, and that accordingly confessions must not operate as a cloak for the concealment of serious criminal offences.

This article considers the question whether ministry in the Anglican Church of Australia is a profession as well as a vocation. After considering the context of child sexual abuse in the Church, and the contemporary practice of ministry, it examines whether it exhibits the four commonly recognised sociological marks of a profession: (1) specialised knowledge and skills; (2) service of fundamental human needs; (3) commitment to the other's best interest; and (4) structures for accountability.

The 14th General Synod of the Anglican Church of Australia was held in Canberra, against a backdrop of a number of important circumstances. Within the Anglican Church, the Appellate Tribunal had determined by a 4 to 3 majority that there was nothing in the Constitution to prevent a woman becoming a diocesan bishop. Within Australia, there were issues of drought and climate. Within the Anglican Communion, there was the ongoing international turmoil over human sexuality.

The 13th General Synod of the Anglican Church of Australia was held in Fremantle, Western Australia between 2 and 8 October 2004.