It has only taken one day for Premier Rockliff's claims that he would leave "no stone unturned" in the pursuit of justice to be proven as little more than lip service.
Instead, it has been the will of the Parliament which has forced him to turn over stones he would have otherwise left alone.
The Commission has been clear they felt as though they were prevented from publishing adverse comments or findings against individuals, because of the lengthy legal process this would have involved.
What is the Premier doing to ensure all the adverse comments and findings the Commission wished to make are thoroughly and independently investigated?
To say these investigations would be managed by the relevant head of agency is not good enough, particularly when he failed to answer how conflicts of interest would be managed when the person being investigated was the head of an agency.
The Premier also revealed today, under our questioning, of the 26 public servants who received legal support to appear before the Commission of Inquiry, that 12 have since left. This would not have come to light, would have been covered up, without us asking the question.
Under what circumstances did they leave? Did they have their employment terminated or did they resign?
The Government has had the report for a month now. If the Premier was serious about holding all involved individuals to account for their actions, or inaction, he should already have a proper process in place for this glaringly inappropriate situation.
Given the number and seriousness of incidents outlined in the report, and the breadth of departments in which they occurred, it is difficult to accept that Dr Tim Renshaw was the most senior public servant held accountable.
So many Tasmanians have been hurt by the systemic failures outlined in the Commission's work. If Jeremy Rockliff is serious about helping them seek justice, and preventing future abuse, he needs to ensure all allegations - whether or not they appear in the final report - are thoroughly and independently investigated and that this is transparently communicated to Tasmanians.
Rebecca White MP
Tasmanian Labor Leader
