Ms ROSOL question to PREMIER, Mr ROCKLIFF
On Friday, your government provided an update on implementation of the commission of inquiry recommendations. A short, one‑page document confirmed five recommendations are still not completed despite being due by 1 July. These include establishing a statutory commission for children and young people, developing a user‑friendly guide for making abuse reports and improving the RTI process.
Last week, you managed to turn around a piece of legislation in a fortnight from go to whoa and you are fast‑tracking multiple bills. Meanwhile, you are pleading more time to develop legislation for these commission of inquiry recommendations. Are you prioritising the interests of developers and business mates over the safety of the children of Tasmania? When exactly are you going to implement these recommendations?
The SPEAKER – Noting that questions should not impugn motive, I call the Premier.
ANSWER
Honourable Speaker, I thank the member for the questions. I have consistently said, from day one, keeping children and young people safe is the number one priority of this government. It remains so. Therefore, I reject the imputation and how you framed the question.
We want meaningful change to keep children and young people across Tasmania safe and to be open and transparent as we progress our response, and I can point to Friday’s information. We are making significant progress improving our systems and services to keep children and young people safe, and have so far delivered the vast majority of the recommendations according to the commission’s schedule.
On 22 November, we released the latest progress update on our response to the commission’s recommendations on the Keeping Children Safe website. It is now just over 12 months since the commission’s report was released and almost a quarter – 24 per cent – of recommendations are now complete. Our government is providing updates to the website on a quarterly basis, with the next update to be provided in early 2025.
We have implemented 46 recommendations. This includes 43 recommendations from phase 1 and three recommendations from phase 2. This includes the release of a consultation draft of Change for Children, our 10-year strategy for upholding the rights of children and young people by preventing, identifying and responding to child sexual abuse, and a number of other key areas as well.
I want to be clear that our response is ongoing. Many of the recommendations from phase 1 will require continuing activity as we embed new structures, policies and practices in our system, and monitor and refine our responses. We are also progressing our phase 2 response and have already completed a number of recommendations there, which I can detail, but time might not permit me to do so.
The response to the commission’s report is one of the most comprehensive reform programs we have ever undertaken, as I am sure you would appreciate. We are steadfast in our focus on delivering real change for Tasmania’s children, even where it takes slightly longer than anticipated. I understand the reason behind the question. Everyone is working really hard to implement these recommendations and ensure systemic change. That has been very evident in the scrutiny hearings I have witnessed over the course of the last 12 months or so.
The SPEAKER – The Premier’s time for addressing the question has expired.
