Media release – Jeremy Rockliff, Premier, 2 May 2022

Commission of Inquiry

The coming days, weeks and months will be difficult for many in our community as the Commission of Inquiry continues its important work to ensure the vulnerable in our community are protected.

We are steadfast in our commitment to acknowledging our past failures to ensure the future protection of our children and young people, and it is our clear intention to adopt all of the recommendations once the COI is finalised.

I do want to reassure all Tasmanians that we absolutely encourage people to come forward, with a number of avenues in place to ensure this can occur.

All state servants are able to voluntarily share information about their experiences with either their agency, or the Commission directly, with agencies proactively ensuring all staff are aware of their ability to participate in the COI’s work, should they wish to.

Additionally, for those not comfortable with these options, you can also reach out to the Integrity Commission, which is an independent body able to hear any concerns and provide advice.

And to be clear, anyone giving information to the Commission of Inquiry is specifically protected from dismissal or reprisals under the Commissions of Inquiry Act 1995.

Anyone providing information to the Commission has rights and protections under the Commissions of Inquiry Act, including that state service employees cannot be prejudiced against or dismissed; others cannot try to prevent employees from providing information to the Commission; and employees cannot have any punitive measures taken against them because they provided information to the Commission.

Those rights and protections are widely available to all State Service staff and publicly available on the Commission’s website.

For anyone affected by the hearings, there is support available – so please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need help at:

Lifeline (24 hours) 131 114;
Beyond Blue 1300 224 636;
Victims of Crime Service 1300 300 238;
Sexual Assault Support Service (24 hours) 1800 697 877;
Laurel House Northern Tasmania (03) 6334 2740;
Laurel House North West Tasmania (03) 6431 9711;
Blue Knot Foundation 1300 657 380;
Child Abuse Prevention Services 1800 688 009;
Strong Families, Safe Kids 1800 000 123;
1800 RESPECT 1800 737 732;
Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467;
MensLine Australia 1300 789 978; or
Relationships Australia Tasmania 1300 364 277.