SYDNEY: Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Monday announced a national inquiry into institutional responses to child sex abuse after a series of scandals involving pedophile priests.

Gillard made the announcement following claims by a senior policeman that the Catholic Church in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales destroyed evidence and silenced investigations.

“There have been too many revelations of adults who have averted their eyes from this evil,” the prime minister said. “I believe in these circumstances that it is appropriate for there to be a national response through a royal commission.”

Gillard had been under growing pressure to establish a national inquiry after the recent allegations as well as an ongoing inquiry in Victoria state, but said that the probe would be broader than just the Catholic Church.

While the terms of reference have yet to be decided, the commission will cover all religious organizations, as well as those providing state care and other not-for-profit bodies. It will also look at the response of the police.

A senior police investigator last week alleged that the Catholic Church had covered up sexual abuse of children in the Hunter Valley north of Sydney, to protect pedophiles and its own reputation.

New South Wales last week announced an investigation into the allegations after Detective Chief Insp. Peter Fox claimed the church hindered police, alerted offenders and destroyed evidence.

But Fox had urged a full-scale national inquiry, saying that limiting a probe to one region was ineffective, particularly as priests alleged to have committed offences were often moved to different states.