Yesterday, the Parliament stood as one to make a decisive break from the wrongs of the past. Today, we watched with dismay as the Premier reverted to the evasiveness and secrecy that has characterised the past 10 years.
Premier Rockliff's failure in Parliament to detail how he will ensure absolute accountability for individuals whose actions were not able to be covered by the Commission of Inquiry was highly disappointing.
Today of all days, we should have heard straight answers to important questions. Instead, we saw the Liberals revert to a standard operating procedure of platitudes and avoidance.
One of the report's most shocking themes was that in many cases, covering up the actions of perpetrators and those who failed to stop them took precedence over protecting our children - which should always be our highest priority.
The report outlines instances where the Commissioners could not make adverse comments or findings they otherwise would have because individuals used legal representation to argue adverse comments or findings against them could constitute a breach of the State Service Code of Conduct.
This means there was information uncovered by the Commission, but which is not in the final report that could further expose how the actions or failures of individuals contributed to the harm that was allowed to be inflicted upon Tasmanian children.
It also means there could be people working in our state service who simply should not be there.
Unfortunately, after 10 years in office, secrecy and a lack of transparency have become trademarks for this Liberal Government.
Today, it looks like nothing has changed, and nothing will change until this Government stops trying to protect themselves before they protect children.
If Jeremy Rockliff is serious about his commitment to "getting this right", outlining how he will ensure accountability for those people who weren't able to be held accountable by the Commission is a non-negotiable.
Rebecca White MP
Tasmanian Labor Leader
