Lara Alexander wants the public service to be held accountable

Ms Alexander said LOUDfence Tasmania's efforts to hold public servants accountable for the failings reported in the Commission of Inquiry Report into the Government's Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Tasmanian Institutions was commendable.

She said that it was "astonishing" that six months after the Commission of Inquiry (COI) into child sexual abuse tabled its final report, not one public servant has been held accountable.

"Premier Rockliff keeps repeating his mantra that his government would implement all 191 recommendations of the COI while making it clear that he has no intention of publicly holding public servants to account for the systematic failures that took place under their watch," she said.

"The Rockliff government has already used all manner of legal tricks to protect those individuals that the COI commissioners wanted to be scrutinised for failing the children to whom they owed a duty of care.

"I fear that a returned Liberal government would continue this apparent policy of letting bygones be bygones and hoping the public will forget the whole thing.

"Victim-survivors are entitled to justice, and all public servants need to know that ignoring or covering up child sexual abuse will be career-ending."

In December 2023, The Rockliff government said it would develop a detailed Child Sexual Abuse Reform Strategy and Action Plan to be released in July 2024.

Attorney-General Guy Barnett said the government would listen and learn from those with lived experience to inform this work.

"To ensure community feedback underpins this work, we have engaged the National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse to create Tasmanian-specific data. This will enable us to gain further insight into the unique challenges within our state and tailor our responses accordingly," he said.

Mrs Alexander said that, if re-elected, she would look to join with supportive MPs, including those in the minor parties and fellow independents on the crossbench, to press the incoming government to make public the names of public servants the COI wanted to be held accountable, and explain why they should not lose their jobs under public service misconduct (ED5) provisions.

LOUDfence Tasmania co-ordinator Lawrie Donaldson said voters had a right to know each candidate's public position on the issue before going to the ballot box.

"Voters need to know what they can expect from MPs, who will have to set about the challenging task of changing the culture in our institutions that has allowed paedophiles and other child sex offenders to abuse children, seemingly with impunity, over generations," he said.

"While important, the COI recommendations and the new legislation will ultimately fall short if public servants continue to know that they will be 'let off the hook' for cover-ups, no matter what."

Mr Donaldson said the Rockliff Government's response to the harrowing litany of sexual abuse at the LGH, local schools, foster homes and the Ashley Youth Detention Centre over many years simply didn't pass the 'Launceston pub test'.

"We need a government that will do what is necessary to make public servants accountable for gross negligence and misconduct. Sadly, I don't believe we have had that so far, so we need to look to the next Parliament to get this right," he said.