Three current public school employees remain suspended in wake of child sexual abuse inquiry

Three public school employees remain suspended in the wake of an Education Department child sexual abuse inquiry as it’s revealed which Tassie schools have the most recorded episodes or incidents. SEE THE LIST >>

THREE Tasmanian public school employees remain suspended from duty in the wake of a child sexual abuse inquiry, and a number of relief staff have been told not to return.

On Thursday, Department of Education secretary Tim Bullard responded to concerning details in the inquiry report that 41 currently-serving staff had “some record of concern”, by noting “immediate action” had been taken.

Mr Bullard said 32 of those 41 related to potential historical allegations of child sexual abuse, and had been referred to Tasmania Police, the department’s Work with Vulnerable People register, and where appropriate, the Teachers Registration Board.

He said each of the records had been “reviewed in detail” and decisions made as to whether further investigation or “management action” was required.

As a result of that review, five employees had been suspended from duty and a formal Code of Conduct investigation commenced.

Mr Bullard said two employees had since returned to work, with no evidence found of sexual misconduct.

“Other (investigations) remain underway with the employees still suspended from duty,” he said.

Mr Bullard also said a number of relief staff had been told not to return to work for the Department of Education “in any capacity, unless they wish to be subject to an independent investigation”.

He said “every single allegation and investigation relating to current employees” had been provided in full to the Commission of Inquiry, which will hear evidence from February next year about child abuse responses in the education system, the Ashley Youth Detention Centre and the state’s hospitals.

The Australian Education Union says the government has failed by not putting new funding in the state budget for measures to address the abuse scandal in public schools.

The inquiry report, a redacted version of which was tabled in parliament on Tuesday, was given to the government on June 21. The state budget was handed down on August 26.

“The Report found a consistent shortfall of school support staff is making it impossible for principals and schools to focus on prevention and proactive programs for student safety and wellbeing,” Australian Education Union state president David Genford said.

“The independent report recommends a focus on preventing, not just responding to abuse – the Minister needs to back good intentions with real resources.

“The Government has had this report since June, they accepted the recommendations, so why were there no additional resources in the budget to make it happen?”

Schools with most “recorded episodes or incidents”

Ninety-two state schools were listed in the Education Department child sexual abuse inquiry as having “recorded episodes or incidents” since the 1960s.

The schools with the most episodes or incidents were:

• Taroona High School: 7
• Rosny College: 6
• Wynyard High School: 5
• Scottsdale Primary School: 4
• Burnie High School: 4
• Glenora District High School: 4
• Huonville High School: 4
• Rose Bay High School: 4
• Smithton High School: 4

Premier mounts fiery defence over handling of child abuse scandal

PREMIER Peter Gutwein has mounted a spirited defence of his government’s handling of allegations of child sexual abuse in the Education Department and other government institutions.

The report of the Inquiry into the Tasmanian Department of Education’s Responses to Child Sexual Abuse was tabled in state parliament on Tuesday.

The government has been criticised by Labor and the Greens for delaying the release of the report and for what they say is a slow response to its findings.

Mr Gutwein spoke for the first time about the report during Question Time on Thursday, saying the Liberals were taking claims of child sexual abuse extremely seriously.

“What we want to do is to do this job once and to do this job right and to ensure that in decades to come that there isn’t another Premier that’s calling another Commission of Inquiry because when they look back in decades to come, they will see that this government, this parliament, had the courage to ask the questions that needed to be asked and importantly to put in place the mechanisms and the processes where we were deficient with them to ensure that moving forward all children regardless of what engagement they have with the public bodies that we are responsible for that all children could be safe,” he said.

“We can’t change the past but we can shape the future and I am absolutely committed to and determined to ensure that we shape that future in a way that is positive for the children in the state both now and importantly into the future.”

Mr Gutwein said the revelations of the Commission of Inquiry — which was announced last November — were going to be hard for many Tasmanians to hear.

“We are on a journey and it is going to be a very difficult journey,” he said.

“But it is a journey that we all bear responsibility for in this place because it’s not this government, the past government, its governments over the last three to four decades.

“This Commission of Inquiry is going to bring forward a range of very difficult and very challenging matters that all of us in this place are going to need to deal with.”

Earlier, Greens leader Cassy O’Connor said the report had exposed a culture of cover-up around abuse in the Education Department.

“Do you agree it doesn’t help that culture to decide to wait five months to release a cut-down version of this critical report and to decide to table it on the same day the national broadcaster obtained the full report through RTI?” she asked Education Minister Sarah Courtney.

“To change culture in any organisation requires leadership from the top Minister, don’t you agree your decisions as Minister for Education and children around this inquiry report regrettably reinforce the culture of cover up in education?”

Ms Courtney said the government had released the report as soon as it was able to, given legal restrictions around identifying potential victims.

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Originally published as Three current public school employees remain suspended in wake of child sexual abuse inquiry