Tasmania Commission of Inquiry: Victim-survivors seek more transparency on abuse claims

The state government has been criticised for only releasing bare-bones information about public sector workers accused of abuse as a group of victim-survivors speak out.

A group of abuse victim-survivors and advocates has condemned “a culture of secrecy and misplaced loyalties” and called on the government to be more forthcoming with information about public sector workers accused of offending.

A letter signed by seven witnesses who gave evidence before the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings has been sent to Minister for Education, Children and Youth Roger Jaensch.

They express concern that the government continues to withhold information about public sector workers accused of, or under investigation, for abuse.

In evidence before budget estimates committee hearings last month, Mr Jaesnch said in a small state, even basic information could be used to identify people.

“That leads us to a situation where somebody who is on leave and their colleagues don’t know why, a community can start to draw connections and join dots that aren’t there, and a person’s reputation can be brought into question for no reason at all,” he said.

According to information released by the government, since October 2020, there have been 43 suspensions of state servants as a result of allegations of child sexual abuse, 22 related to historical allegations and 21 related to contemporary allegations.

All have been referred or are known to Tasmania Police.

Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government's responses to child sexual abuse in institutional settings. Movenpick Hotel, Hobart Tasmania.

Four were found to have breached the code of conduct in relation to contemporary child sexual abuse allegations, 11 investigations found no breach. Ten of the 11 employees returned to duty and one resigned.

But the victim-survivors say more information needs to be made public.

“Nobody would expect the government to release information in such a way that compromises the right to natural justice,” they wrote.

“We also recognise that this might be new ground for a state that has been so enmeshed, in various areas for many decades, in a culture of secrecy as a natural habit.

“However, it is incumbent on the government to find effective ways to tackle protracted and complex problems such as this.

“We call on you to release the current figures regarding institution-specific breakdowns of the number of staff who have resigned, been stood down, commenced Workers’ Compensation processes, been referred to Tasmanian Police and/or terminated as a result of Child Sexual Abuse allegations in the departments you oversee.”

Mr Jaensch said he was aware of the concerns and was balancing the interests of all concerned.

“The safety and wellbeing of children and young people are priorities for the Tasmanian Government, and for me personally,” he said.

“We do offer our deepest and heartfelt apologies to all victims and survivors of child sexual abuse that occurred in relation to agencies across Tasmania.

“I do acknowledge the concerns raised – however, the level of detail I could give was based on legal advice, which said that providing any further information may have the potential to prejudice legal proceedings.

“We acknowledge the suffering and courage of victim-survivors and we are committed to ensuring our investigation processes are robust.”

The Commission of Inquiry is due to hand its final report to the government on August 31. It is expected to be tabled in state parliament soon after.

Originally published as Tasmania Commission of Inquiry: Victim-survivors seek more transparency on abuse claims