Commission of Inquiry - 2 May 2022 (02 May 2022)

Dear Colleagues

In October 2021, the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (the Commission) held its opening scene setting hearing. Today marks the re-commencement of six weeks of Hearings.

I have written to you on a number of occasions since the Government announced it would recommend to the Governor the establishment of the Commission in November 2020. I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate that all State Servants have my, and that of all Heads of Agencies, full support in coming forward to the Commission.

If you have any concern, have made an observation, or have something to say in relation to child sexual abuse in government institutions, please speak up, without fear of reprisal. The Commission of Inquiry is a unique opportunity for us to ensure that our systems protect our most vulnerable.

You can always raise concerns, observations or ideas with your Manager, or within the processes your Agency has established. If for any reason you don’t feel comfortable raising matters within your own Agency, you can reach out to the Integrity Commission as an independent body able to hear your concerns.

I want to emphasise that allegations of child sexual abuse should always be reported to Tasmania Police in the first instance (via aco@police.tas.gov.au).

I understand that discussion of these matters can be very distressing for some.  The re-commencement of hearings from today will see these very sensitive issues discussed in more depth. If anything associated with the Commission raises issues for you, or you feel you would like to speak to someone, there are a range of supports available including the EAP in your Agency, Beyond Blue (1300 224 636), Lifeline (13 11 14) and 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732).

The Commission has also engaged Converge, an EAP provider, to provide confidential wellbeing support. This support is available direct to witnesses or potential witnesses to the Commission.

The Commission Hearings are available to watch via livestream here: https://icourts.events.corrivium.live/tascoi and transcripts will be published after the Hearings.