Public servants who dodged COI scrutiny could cough up legal fees
Public servants whose names were left out of the Commission of Inquiry final report could be required to reimburse the crown after their legal fees were paid out of the government purse. Latest.
Tasmania
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Public servants whose legal fees were paid out of the government purse during the Commission of Inquiry could be required to reimburse the Crown, depending on the outcome of a new independent review.
The Commission’s final report, tabled in September, noted that lawyers acting for the state government and some public servants had argued the law did not allow adverse comments to be made against them.
The investigation will look into whether the officers acted “in good faith”, and if it’s found they hadn’t they’ll be required to pay back the legal fees.
It’s one of two independent reviews the new Attorney-General is seeking to establish.
The other will be a review by the Tasmania Law Reform Institute into the Commission of Inquiry Act, to determine whether the powers of a Commission of Inquiry need to be extended.
The institute will also investigate limitations identified in the final report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings.
“The Rockliff Government has committed to all 191 recommendations from the COI, and these two reviews are an important part of our commitment,” Attorney-General Guy Barnett said.
“The safety of our children and young people is our absolute priority and we are focused on building a culture that ensures the failings in our systems and institutions highlighted by the COI will never be repeated.”
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