australian man 'raped daughter for 30 years

Victorian Community Services Minister Lisa Neville says she will investigate claims that a man fathered four children with his own daughter over 30 years.

"I was extremely appalled to see the allegations," she told ABC Radio on Thursday.

The story has drawn comparisons with Josef Fritzl, the Austrian man who kept his daughter prisoner while he repeatedly raped her.

Photos: The Fritzl files

The minister said she had not been told of the case and would make it a priority to look into it.

"They are only allegations and are before the courts at the moment and we need to be very careful about how much detail we go into," Ms Neville said.

"I became aware of this from the media today and I don't know what, or if, (there has been) any involvement of the police, the department or other agencies ... over the past 30 years.

"This will be a priority to look into."

The victim's mother claims she was unaware of any abuse, despite sharing a house with her daughter, husband and grandchildren until 2005.

It is alleged all four children were born with birth defects, delivered in major Melbourne hospitals and none had a father listed on their birth certificates.

The alleged rapes are said to have started in the 1970s when the victim was about 11 and continued until 2007.

The woman had come forward to police about the alleged abuse in 2005, but no charges were laid as she said she was afraid of her father and would not cooperate with police.

The man was charged in February and will appear in court in November.

It is a similar scenario to that of Jaycee Dugard, who was allegedly kidnapped in the US and fathered the children of the man who took her.


OMG how shocking

And the Fritzl case as well. The mother said she was unaware anything was wrong. If only we knew - there probably are many cases around.

"The victim's mother claims she was unaware of any abuse, despite sharing a house with her daughter, husband and grandchildren until 2005."
Surely she knew something strange was going on?

Patty O'Daws wrote:Shocking indeed, but no doubt will give hope to the McCanns in some way.

Very true, no doubt Robert Murat or any other PDL resident will be quaking in their boots, as the McCanns and their huge and ever growing empire, will be pointing the finger and insinuating that someone in the area knows where Madeleine is and of course she is unharmed, but they can't come forward because GAs book has told them she is dead, so of course, they haven't a mind of their own and can't pick up a 'phone to report their "findings". AAAAaaagggHHHHH!!!!!! Some one help me!!!

Beth wrote:"The victim's mother claims she was unaware of any abuse, despite sharing a house with her daughter, husband and grandchildren until 2005."
Surely she knew something strange was going on?

You'd have thought the mother would ask about the children's father,wouldn't you?I find it difficult to believe that she didn't have any idea at all that something was going on.