National Survivors Day (12 Nov 2024)

Be aware that this message mentions both sexual abuse and institutional abuse. Please only engage with this content if you feel psychologically safe enough to do so.

Hello everyone

I would like to recognise the importance of today for victim-survivors across Tasmania and Australia more broadly.

Today is National Survivor’s Day. It is a day dedicated to recognising and commemorating the courage, strength, and resilience of survivors of sexual assault and institutional abuse, their supporters, and the whistle-blowers who have bravely spoken out across Australia.

The day also provides a reminder for us all to remember those who were impacted by abuse and are no longer with us. I would like to pay my respects to their memory and to those who loved them.

There is a significant volume of work happening across our agencies to prevent sexual abuse and institutional abuse from happening, and I thank our staff for their part in making Tasmania a safer place. This work is meaningful work, but I recognise it is not always the easiest work to do. I encourage all staff, regardless of their program of work, to take care of their physical and mental health and reach out for support if required.

While today is National Survivor’s Day, I encourage you all to show your support for the whole week by wearing coloured ribbons or displaying them on your desk or homes. As always, and particularly when working to implement anything related to child safety, violence prevention and the Commission of Inquiry, we should be working with victim-survivors in mind.

I would also like to recognise that this day may be difficult for people across our agencies. If you need support, please reach out to our EAP providers:

Positive Solutions – phone 6223 5612 or email eap@positivesolutions.com.au

Converge International – phone 1300 687 327 or email eap@convergeintl.com.au

For members of our workforce who have been affected by sexual assault or institutional abuse, you can contact the Sexual Assault Support Service (South) and Laurel House (North and North West) on 1800 MY SUPPORT at any time. Visit 1800mysupport.org.au for more information.

Kind regards

Kathrine Morgan-Wicks
Head of the State Service
Secretary, Department of Premier and Cabinet
12 Nov 2024