Two years on from the Commission of Inquiry the path to keeping children safe but not without hurdles, writes Adrienne Picone.
TOMORROW marks two years since the Commission of Inquiry into the
Tasmanian Government’s Responses to Child Sexual Abuse handed down its final report, outlining a wide range of findings and recommendations, to drive the urgent changes needed to keep all children safe.
It’s a moment for us to reflect on the bravery and strength of the many victim-survivors who shared their experiences, stories and pain to bring about change for Tasmania’s children. It’s also a moment to assess where we are in the journey to transform our culture, institutions and community.
Tasmania is poised to lead the nation in implementing innovative, evidence-based community programs that prevent crime and reduce reoffending, and we urge the Tasmanian Government to stay the course in implementing the Commission of Inquiry recommendations. This is our opportunity to demonstrate that Tasmania takes crime and the safety of everyone in our community seriously, and that we act on the evidence, which clearly shows that about 85% of Australian children sentenced to detention return to custody within 12 months.
Focussing solely on punitive tertiary responses, such as expanded policing of children, stricter laws or increased incarceration of children, will not keep anyone safe.
In implementing the findings and recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry, TasCOSS and other community organisations have urged the Government to deliver on the Youth Justice Blueprint and prioritise opportunities to invest in evidence-based programs, initiatives and changes that are likely to prevent all children from harm.
This means investing in initiatives to ensure children and families can stay safe and well in their community, with access to affordable and coordinated housing, health and other support services.
We’re fortunate in Tasmania to have many examples of successful, community-based programs working to support children and young people, particularly those involved in, or at risk of, institutional involvement.
While most children in our community are not engaging in problem behaviour, research shows that disengagement from school can be a risk factor for later involvement with police or the legal system.
To address this issue for example, the Glenorchy City Council runs a range of targeted, community-based programs, including the HAPPY program, which provides mentoring support for students at risk of disengaging from education, and the RESET program, which offers intensive supports for children regularly suspended, to support them to re-engage and meaningfully participate in school.
Another powerful example of community-led change and early intervention is the Tasmanian Bike Collective, a grassroots initiative that uses bicycle restoration and riding to engage, mentor and empower at-risk young people. Through hands-on bike mechanics, trail building and structured mentoring, participants develop resilience, teamwork and emotional regulation.
Prevention and early intervention are the keys to unlocking better outcomes for our next generation.
To ensure Tasmanians have trust in our public institutions, we also continue to call for changes which promote accountability and transparency. The establishment of the Office of the Implementation Monitor is a positive step towards this objective and will play an important role in ensuring the Government stays the course in implementing the Commission’s recommendations, while maintaining open engagement with community organisations and victim-survivors.
While positive progress has been made against a number of the Commission’s recommendations, serious concerns remain unaddressed. The recent report from the Office of the Custodial Inspector revealed alarming safety risks for children held in adult watch-houses, including threats of abuse and inappropriate searches.
These practices must end.
These findings reinforce the urgent need to make immediate changes to prevent the detention of children whenever possible, through expanding alternatives for community-based diversion and amending legislation to ensure the detention of children is truly a last resort.
We remain deeply concerned about the ongoing operation of the Ashley Youth Detention Centre, which the Commission identified as presenting ‘current and live risks’ for children, who are being detained in unsafe conditions.
We call on the Tasmanian Government to continue to ensure the safety of all currently detained children and prioritise therapeutic, trauma informed alternatives to detention, using the expertise, relationships and experience of community organisations who already support Tasmanian children and families.
Now is the time for bold action and we call on government to invest in community-led solutions which are proven to work.
Child sexual abuse is preventable and all children deserve to be treated with dignity, kept safe from harm and have access to health and wellbeing supports.
Two years on, we recommit to the vision of a Tasmania where every child is safe, every story is heard, and every institution is held to account.
Adrienne Picone is the chief executive of the Tasmanian Council of Social Service (TasCOSS).