Commission of Inquiry Report - Release of Government Response (01 Dec 2023)

Dear Colleagues,

Today the Government has released their Response to the Final Report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings.

There is no job more important than ensuring Tasmania’s children are safe and well in our care. With the release of the Response we must now focus on the work ahead to implement the recommendations, protect our children and rebuild Tasmanian’s trust in our government institutions.

It reiterates the Government’s commitment to implementing all 191 recommendations, identified lead agencies for all recommendations, and establishes the governance and accountability structures to deliver those changes.

The program of work is extensive and will be phased over a number of years.  The recommendations are divided into categories of short (by 1 July 2024), medium (by 1 July 2026) and longer-term (by 1 July 2029), based on timeframes provided by the Commission. The response provide some detail on the recommendations to be delivered in the short term. Further work is required to identify how the medium and longer-term recommendations will be delivered.

It is important to note that Government’s response is just the first step.  The Response will inform the development of the detailed Child Sexual Abuse Reform Strategy and Action Plan which will be released in July 2024.

The Strategy will be developed in consultation with children, young people and victim survivors, and will outline the desired system that Tasmania seeks to achieve to respond to child sexual abuse, encompassing both this response to the Commission’s recommendations and broader initiatives, reforms and recommendations.

We have much work ahead of us.  It is a key turning point for the government, and we share a responsibility to deliver the changes necessary to safeguard our children and young people, for now and for generations to come.

You can read the Response on the Keeping Children Safe website.

Lastly, I encourage you to exercise discretion in your engagement with the Response and seek support and care if required.

Inevitably, the discussions and resulting coverage will be difficult for many across the Tasmanian community. With the latest statistics from the Australian Child Maltreatment Study indicating almost 1 in 4 Australians have experienced child sexual abuse, the topic will continue to evoke strong emotions.

A range of supports continue to be available to you at this time including your Agency EAP services or the support networks in place through the Commission or Keeping Children Safe websites.

Best wishes

Craig Limkin
Acting Head of the State Service
01 Dec 2023