Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government s Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institution
MEDIA RELEASE: Tasmanian Commission of Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse Launched
Thursday 13 May 2021
With wide-ranging powers equal to that of a Royal Commission, the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings was launched today.
The last Tasmanian Royal Commission was held in 1992.
The Commission of Inquiry will investigate child sexual abuse within the State Service and explore ways the Government can better protect Tasmanian children.
Three eminent Commissioners have been appointed to the role:
The Honourable Marcia Neave AO, Commission President and former Supreme Court Judge
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Keelie McMahon was 14 when she alleges she was sexually abused by family friend and nurse, James Geoffrey Griffin.
The now-24-year-old has been telling her story to encourage other survivors of child sexual abuse to speak out. I’m doing it to help other people that have gone through it, so they can get the courage to come forward and talk about what’s happened to them as well, she told SBS News.
In 2019 five woman came forward and made historic complaints of sexual abuse against James Griffin, ranging from the late 1980s through to 2012. He started getting charged for all these different things, more people came forward, and then all of a sudden it just stopped, because he committed suicide, and that was the end of it, Ms McMahon said.
Sex harassment, bullying claims emerge from detention centre An Ashley Youth Detention Centre employee has described her “humiliating” sexual harassment and bullying experiences while working at the facility.
News by Amber Wilson
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Subscriber only AN ASHLEY Youth Detention Centre employee has come forward with explosive claims - alleging other staff subjected her to degrading sexual harassment and bullying that turned physical. The woman, who asked to only be identified as Alysha, said a photo of her was distributed among staff, describing her as looking like a Japanese f … doll . She also said on one occasion, she was slammed against a wall by an operational coordinator after she d questioned her management of one of the detainees.
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Madam Speaker,
In January last year I was honoured to receive the support of my colleagues to become the State’s 46th Premier and shortly after that, around 12 months to the day, coronavirus found its way to the Australian mainland and unfortunately to our shores as well.
We were faced with the probability of a significant health crisis if action wasn’t taken swiftly to protect our community, that action meant limiting people’s movements and closing businesses where people congregated, and sadly the impact on our economy was severe.
We banned cruise ships, closed our borders and we stayed home to save lives.
Roger Jaensch,Minister for Human Services
The Department of Communities Tasmania has commenced a formal review into an incident that occurred at the Ashley Youth Detention Centre (AYDC) last night.
This is a standard practice when such incidents occur, as it is important that we understand how they occurred and what measures can be put in place to prevent them happening again.
It’s important to understand that AYDC is a therapeutic facility that aims to safely and securely accommodate young offenders with a view to rehabilitation and a positive return to life within our community.
The Tasmanian Government has commenced our $7.3 million major infrastructure redesign and upgrade of the Centre to ensure its fit for purpose as part of a state-wide, contemporary, therapeutic youth justice system.