Matthew Blundell
28.09.23
After a two-and-a-half-year inquiry, the Tasmania Commission of Inquiry into Child Abuse published its Final Report. The Report was tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, 26 September 2023.
The Recommendations
Tasmania’s Commission of Inquiry sheds light on a litany of systemic failures with allegations of child abuse covered up, ignored or not believed. Out of its some 191 recommendations, the Commission recommends several key reforms that will fundamentally change the way child abuse in institutions is addressed in Tasmania. The key reforms include:
- An executive response recommendation; A new Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People to advocate broadly for Aboriginal children, and a new Independent Child Advocate to advocate on behalf of children and young people in out of home care and youth detention.
- A State Service Code of Conduct that develops policies and practices for addressing risks adults posed to children.
- A specialist response headed by a Child-Related Incident Management Directorate equipped to both investigate and respond to allegations.
The Challenges
The Commissioners also identified several challenges they faced in their Inquiry. Suffice it to say that these challenges are not unique to Tasmania. The challenges identified included:
- a poor understanding of child abuse including consistent failures to recognise child abuse for what it is.
- an improper identification and response by institutions to what it aptly terms “harmful sexual behaviours”.
- little accountability for failings of the sparse examples of child-centred leadership.
- a lack of proper training and investment in making sure staff were safe and suitable to work directly with children and young people, particularly in high-risk settings.
The Premier of Tasmania is committed to reform and Parliament certainly have their work cut out for them.
The full Report is available online and can be downloaded from the Commission of Inquiry website.
