For the past two years, WOO Agency has had the privilege of working alongside the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government's Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings.
Our dedicated team worked tirelessly to contribute to this important endeavour. We played a pivotal role in crafting the brand, communication materials, and a final report that spans more than 3,500 pages. Today, we are honoured to witness the release of this comprehensive report to the public.
Tasmania's children have been abused in the government's institutions — from hospitals to schools — and failed by a state response that has "too often been inadequate", a commission of inquiry has found. Premier Jeremy Rockliff addressed parliament after the tabling of the long-awaited commission of inquiry report — a hefty document that makes 191 recommendations across eight volumes and 3,500 pages. The moment is a turning point in the long road for justice for the many victim-survivors who have come forward to tell their stories of abuse at the hands of teachers, nurses, carers or others working within state institutions.
Among the alarming findings from the report are that there had been many "missed opportunities" to stop Launceston General Hospital (LGH) children's ward nurse James Geoffrey Griffin, who sexually abused children throughout his 20-year career. The commissioners reserved scathing comments for the LGH's former head of medical services, Dr Peter Renshaw, who the report found misled the inquiry through "omissions and fabrication" and "did not demonstrate even a modicum of self reflection".
While finding that Tasmania's government institutions are "generally safe for children", the commissioners found the response to allegations of abuse "had too often been inadequate". "The Tasmanian government does not often enough have the right systems in place to effectively address the risks and respond to incidents of child sexual abuse in institutions into the future," the commissioners found. The education department in particular had "systemic shortcomings" in its responses to abuse, the report found.
You can view the report in full here: commissionofinquiry.tas.gov.au
