Attorney-General Elise Archer told parliament on Tuesday that since Tasmania joined the scheme on May 22, all states and several non-government institutions had joined up.

The scheme was a key recommendation in the Royal Commission’s final report on institutional responses, to be funded by government and non-government sources.

She said the scheme had started on July 1 and was now taking applications.

“The significance of this cannot be understated,” Ms Archer said.

“The Royal Commission provided survivors with the opportunity to bring their experiences to light, however, that was only the first step.

“As i have previously said while we can never undo the suffering done to so many, the national redress scheme is an acknowledgement of the wrongs that occurred and provides a significant step in providing a measure of justice to survivors.”

Ms Archer said that as with other states, Tasmania was preparing legislation that would adopt the national redress scheme, the Institutional Child Sexual Abuse Bill that was passed nationally on June 19.

“I hope to be able to table such a bill in the spring session of the Tasmanian parliament,” she said.

“However, the scheme is structured in such a way that all eligible Tasmanians can now commence the application process  as well as submit applications.

“Importantly, Tasmanians will also be able to access the support services offered by the scheme.

“In designing the scheme, those involved were cognisant of the emotional toll that completing such an application could take, which is why significant resources have been committed by the commonwealth to ensure that emotional, legal and financial support services will be available for the duration of the entire scheme.”

Ms Archer said the focus would be on making access to redress as simple as possible and less distressing for survivors than other legal avenues.

“That said, for any person who is considering making an application I would urge them to ensure that they have the proper supports in place before commencing the application process,” she said.

"There is no doubt that the application process will be a very difficult one for many.”

Ms Archer said the national redress scheme was not the only option for those seeking justice.

“It was always intended these options should be available together to provide a choice that is a fully informed one,” she said.

“Hence the reason that proclaimation occurred on the commencement of the national redress scheme on July 1.

“The amendments to the Limitation Act now provide those that experience both sexual and physical abuse as a child can now take legal action against those who perpetrated that abuse against them without having to deal with the time limits that previously acted as a barrier.”

The Tasmanian government’s contribution to the scheme is estimated to cost $70 million over 10 years with survivors eligible for payments of up to $150,000 and financial support for counselling and other support services.