Louise Milligan – författare

New edition includes a new foreword by Tom Keneally, and a new epilogue by Louise MilliganCardinal George Pell, Australia's most powerful Catholic, was found guilty of five sexual crimes against children and has been sentenced to six years' jail. He is the most senior Catholic figure in the world to be charged by police and convicted of child sex offences. The abuse involved choirboys at Melbourne's St Patrick's Cathedral.George Pell was a Ballarat boy who studied at Oxford and rose through the Catholic Church ranks to become adviser to Pope Francis and Vatican treasurer. He has now been expelled from the Pope's inner circle.As an outspoken defender of Church orthodoxy, supported and championed by the powerful, Pell's ascendancy was seemingly unstoppable.The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse brought to light horrific stories about abuse of the most vulnerable. Pell portrayed himself as the first man in the Catholic Church to tackle the problem. But questions about what the Cardinal knew, and when, persisted.Louise Milligan pieces together decades of disturbing activities highlighting Pell's actions and cover-ups. The book is a testament to the most intimate stories of complainants. Many people entrusted their secrets to be told here for the first time. Multi-award winning Cardinal reveals uncomfortable truths about a culture of entitlement, abuse of trust and how ambition can silence evil.

A masterful and deeply troubling expose, Witness is the culmination of five years' research for award-winninginvestigative journalist Louise Milligan.Throughout her career charting the experiences of people who have the courage to come forward to police and then look to find justice in court, Milligan has watched how witnesses are treated (or, too frequently, mistreated) in the courtroom. They have described to her how they relive the associated trauma, often years later. Then, she saw this first-hand when she became a witness and was cross-examined herselfin the trial of the decade, R v George Pell.Never-before-published court transcripts expose widespread systemic flaws. And through a combination of extraordinarily candid interviews with defence counsel, prosecutors and even judges, and the heartbreakingstories of witnesses in a number of high-profile cases, the brutal reality of the system is laid bare.Revealing the devastating effects of an adversarial legal system that can be sexist, callous and too often weighted towards the rich and powerful, Milligan also highlights its failure to protect the wellbeing of the most vulnerable. In detailing these flaws and the ongoing human cost, Witness is a compelling call for change.Shortlisted for the 2021 Stella Prize'Witness is an impressive, gut-wrenching interrogation of the justice system.'THE SATURDAY PAPER'Witness is a triumph of intellect and empathy.'THE CONVERSATION