Apology, new laws, and millions of dollars to battle child abuse pledged in state parliament

The Premier says the state government will make a formal apology to children they have “failed” as he promises to make child protection one of his signature reforms during his term in office.

THE Tasmanian parliament will make a formal apology to the victim-survivors of child sexual abuse at the end of the Commission of Inquiry, Premier Jeremy Rockliff said.

Announcing a multimillion dollar suite of child safety reforms in state Parliament on Tuesday, Mr Rockliff said he wanted to make child protection one of the major reforms during his time in office.

“I want the Tasmanian community to be clear about the fact that keeping children and young people safe is an absolute priority for me and for my Government,” he told parliament.

“This will be one of my personal priorities during my tenure as Premier.”

He said the apology would be made on behalf of the successive governments.

“I have reached out to the leaders of the opposition parties about my intention to move a formal apology on behalf of the Tasmanian parliament, to all those who have been failed by government institutions, not just those participating in the Commission of Inquiry,” he said.

“I would expect a formal apology to be delivered at the completion of the Commission’s public proceedings, when more victim-survivors have had the opportunity to come forward to the Inquiry and share their experience.”

Premier Jeremy Rockliff. Picture: Chris Kidd

The Premier said the government would pass laws creating new offences.

“Legislation will be drafted this year to create a new crime of ‘failing to protect a child or young person’ for people in authority within an organisation who fail to safeguard a child from substantial risk of sexual abuse by an adult associated with that organisation,” he said.

“Our government also plans to amend the Criminal Code to introduce a presumption that children under the age of 17 cannot consent to sexual intercourse when a person is in a position of authority over them.

“These legislative changes will bring our criminal justice system into alignment with community expectations.”

And he flagged major reforms around how the government death with lawsuits brought by survivors.

“The civil claims process should not, and must not, make victim-survivors feel that their experience of abuse has been dismissed or minimised. To do so is simply not acceptable,” he said.

“We will review the structure and processes across civil litigation to ensure our approach is trauma informed and that all our legal practitioners recognise evidence-based understandings of the nature and impact of child sexual abuse.

“It is my expectation that the Government’s new approach will ensure victim-survivors feel listened to, understood, informed and supported throughout the civil litigation process.”

Mr Rockliff also pledged:

• An additional $758,000 for the Teachers Registration Board for investigators;
• $2.2m for a response unit to deliver a co-ordinated response to the Commission of Inquiry;
• $240,000 towards building shared capability for investigations related to serious Code of Conduct breaches across the State Service;
• $2.5 million to design and implement the Child and Youth Safe Organisations Framework, legislated child safe standards and a reportable conduct scheme;
• A further $24 million to support children and young people impacted by trauma;
• $5.4m for additional frontline workers for the Advice and Referral Line and Child Safety Services;
• $2.2 million to establish an Out of Home Care Accreditation Framework and the development of a Carer’s Register;
• A $3.7 million investment for forensic science laboratories;
• $40m for new youth justice facilities following the closure of the Ashley Youth Detention Centre.

Mr Rockliff said the government would provide state servants who give evidence to the Commission of Inquiry would be given two days of special leave to prepare their statements and to testify.

“Once again I want to stress there will be no reprisals from coming forward. It is absolutely the right thing to do, and you will be supported to do so,” he said.

The government will also establish an advisory panel made of adult victim-survivors of child

sexual abuse in institutional settings and family or friends of victim-survivors to help the government develop its Child and Youth Safe Organisations Framework.

Govt to announce child safety officer in every school

DEDICATED staff will be placed in every Tasmanian government school to ensure the welfare of students in a multimillion-dollar plan to be announced in Thursday’s state budget.

Minister Education, Children and Youth Roger Jaensch said the new role of Safeguarding Officers would ensure that every child had access to an education, was heard and kept safe from harm.

Mr Jaensch said the government would spend $26.1 million over four years to employ a Safeguarding Officer in every government school, with ongoing funding in every following budget.

The move was recommended by the independent Inquiry into the Tasmanian Department of Education’s Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

“Appointing a Safeguarding Officer in each school will help build a safeguarding network across the State Government school system, providing a central point of contact for all matters related to child safety in schools,” Mr Jaensch said.

Roger Jaensch, Minister for Education, with some students from Bowen Road Primary school who were showing him their outdoor classroom. Picture: Linda Higginson

“Nothing is more important than the safety of our children and young people,” he said.

“This state budget allocation demonstrates the government’s commitment to strengthening the future of all Tasmanians by making our schools safer and protecting the rights of the child.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff said the budget would have a strong focus on child protection amid as the Commission of Inquiry continues its work.

“We recognise the importance of ensuring that we have very good systems and support for our children in terms of keeping our children safe,” he said.

“And so we recognise that is a clear need and there will be key investments in that critical are of importance.”

Premier

Labor leader Rebecca White said Thursday’s state budget also needed to take action on improving funding for essential services — and measures to address the rising cost of living.

“There can be no doubt that Tasmanians are feeling the pinch from the rising costs of everyday essential items like fuel, the lack of growth in wages and the increased prices of utilities,” she said.

“We need to see measures from this government in the budget they hand down on Thursday that really do take some of the pressure off family budgets, to make sure that Tasmanians can make ends meet.”

On Monday, Mr Rockliff announced the budget would include an additional $10 million into Tourism Tasmania across the next four years to expand marketing into domestic markets and support direct airline capacity into both Hobart and Launceston.

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Originally published as Apology, new laws, and millions of dollars to battle child abuse pledged in state parliament