Dr WOODRUFF question to PREMIER, Mr ROCKLIFF
Victims/survivors have waited years for this day and have huge anxiety about the report that is about to be tabled. Most deeply, the anxieties they have expressed to me have been regarding the quality of the Government's response and the urgency with which you treat that response and the resourcing. This means they want and demand that your response is comprehensively assessed.
To allow proper parliamentary scrutiny of the Government's response to the commission of inquiry, will you bring forward the date of the response that you have set for 4 December to allow at least a full week of parliamentary scrutiny before the end of the year, or will you commit to returning for another week of parliament after 4 December so this does not sink over the Christmas period?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I thank Dr Woodruff for her question. I will be outlining many things in my ministerial statement including some additional investments we are making above the $30 million allocation in this year's Budget for the 2023 24 financial year. There will be further investments required in the out-years in terms of the forward Estimates. The time line we have set out for today's initial response, and bearing in mind all agencies and ministers have only had the opportunity to thoroughly examine the report since 31 August this year, it is important that we get this right, that it is not rushed, and that we are all held accountable.
I reiterate the very important matter of collective responsibility across this parliament. I do not know who is going to be in government over the next number of years. The people of Tasmania will decide that. We all need to take responsibility as individual members of parliament and, through our collective responsibility, to ensure that one, we implement the recommendations, and two, that they are effectively resourced.
The time frame of December 4 was set because we believe it will give the agencies, departments, and those responsible the time for a very considered response to the report's recommendations and findings. Prior to that, we will be in parliament for a supplementary appropriation bill to ensure we have the resources over the course of this specialist financial year as well. I make those points, and further detail additional investments above the original allocation of $30 million in this year's Budget for the rest of the financial year.
