Why has the Commission of Inquiry been extended?
The Commission’s reporting date has been extended to allow the Commission to complete its work.
The Commission requested the extension due to the complexity of information provided to us and our commitment to appropriately and thoroughly address all the issues raised with us. It will also enable the Commission discharge our procedural fairness obligations under the Commissions of Inquiry Act 1995.
The extended deadline will enable the Commission to ensure our report and its recommendations are thorough and do all we can to contribute to the safety and wellbeing of children and young people in Tasmania.
It is quite common for Commissions of Inquiry or Royal Commissions to seek extensions to their reporting deadlines. For example, the national Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse sought a two-year extension to its reporting deadline.
This is the second extension. Will the Commission be extended again?
The Commission of Inquiry does not expect to seek a further extension of time beyond 31 August 2023.
The Commission is committed to delivering a report which supports an opportunity for real change and reform. We must ensure our report and its recommendations are thorough and do all we can to contribute to the safety and wellbeing of children and young people in Tasmania.
The Commission is seeking to deliver its report as soon as possible to enable the change and reform it recommends to also commence as soon as possible.
Why does the Commission need extra time?
The Commission requested the extension due to the complexity of information provided to us and our commitment to appropriately and thoroughly address all the issues raised with us.
Under the Commissions of Inquiry Act 1995, the Commission has certain legal obligations, including providing procedural fairness in relation to its report.
When will the report be available for the public to read?
The Commission will deliver its report to the Governor by 31 August 2023.
After the Commission delivers its report to the Governor, the report must be tabled in Parliament within 10 Parliamentary sitting days.
Once the report is delivered to the Governor and tabled in Parliament, the Government will arrange for it to be published. When the Commission’s report is published, it will appear on the Commission of Inquiry website.
What happens when the Commission of Inquiry finally ends?
Once the Commission delivers its report to the Governor, the Commission ceases to exist. The Commissioners and Commission staff will finish their work. Although you will no longer be able to contact the Commission, new supports will be in place after that time.
Further information on these supports will be made available on the Commission’s website and social media channels..
Can people still share information with the Commission?
Both submissions and Sessions with a Commissioner have now closed. Any information provided by members of the public now will not form part of the report.
If you need to talk or want to raise an issue with the Commission, we are still here.
You can contact the Commission and speak with a member of the Community Engagement Team at contact@commissionofinquiry.tas.gov.au or by calling 1800 950 110.
Why isn’t the Commission releasing the report?
Under the Commissions of Inquiry Act and the Order under which the Commission was established, the Commission is required to deliver its report to the Governor. The legislation and the Order do not enable the Commission to publish its report.
Why isn’t my submission/statement on the website? When will it be published?
The Commission received a number of submission and statements from a range of individuals, groups and organisations. These submissions and statements were each considered and assisted the Commission to gather information, evidence and ideas from the Tasmanian community. They are informing the Commission’s report.
The Commission is in the process of reviewing the submissions and statements for publication. Generally, the Commission is committed to being open and transparent, respecting the preferences of victim-survivors and considering the impact that information it has received may have on other investigations, legal proceedings and the wider community.
In inviting submissions and requesting witness statements, the Commission reserved the right to redact (black out) any information from a submission, including for legal, privacy and/or safety reasons, prior to publishing a submission or statement to its website. The Commission also reserved the right not to publish any submission or statement if it considered it inappropriate to do so.
The Commission may decide to publish some, but not all, of the submission and statements it received, including because:
- the author either did not consent to, or requested not to have, their information publically disclosed and asked that their identity be kept confidential;
- it includes content relevant to an ongoing criminal investigation which if released, may disrupt or prejudice an investigation; or
- it is not relevant to our inquiry.