What the Tasmanian Government is doing
We are taking strong action to uphold the rights of children and young people and keep them safe. Our strategy, Change for Children, sets up our pathway for taking meaningful action at individual, organisational and community levels by preventing, identifying and responding to child sexual abuse.
We know we have a lot of work to do. Change for Children goes beyond the six-year program of work already committed by government to deliver on all 191 recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry and outlines a 10-year plan to develop, implement, monitor, evaluate and report on our progress. Change will take time and we want to make sure we do things properly.
These are the first steps, not the last. Lasting change will take an ongoing, dedicated commitment and sustained long term effort. It will take all parts of the system working together and partnerships between government and community to ensure children are safe in places where they live, play, learn and heal. True reform will require the commitment of all Tasmanians.
Our progress
Ongoing communication with children and young people, victim-survivors and all members of the Tasmanian community is fundamental for making real change and being accountable. We regularly report on our progress on our 'Recommendation status' page. Our latest news can be found on our 'Latest updates' page.
Progress reports
Download and read the progress update for 1 February 2025 - 31 April 2025: PDF
Download and read the progress update for 1 November 2024 - 31 January 2025: PDF
Download and read the progress update for 1 July 2024 - 31 October 2024: PDF
Download and read Immediate Change: Recommendations to be implemented by 1 July (Phase 1) Progress report: Word | PDF
Our strategy
The Change for Children 10-year strategy recognises the complexity of the issue of child sexual abuse. The Tasmanian Government will work in partnership with all levels of government, community organisations and the wider community to implement this strategy through three consecutive action plans, which will be built over time, based on evidence and continual feedback from victim-survivors, children and young people and the community.
Our approach emphasises prevention, early intervention, effective response, and long-term recovery while tackling the underlying factors that perpetuate child sexual abuse. This strategy seeks to create meaningful change by fostering a culture of safety, respect, and accountability. It prioritises collaboration, equity, and a trauma-informed lens to ensure that interventions are effective, inclusive, and responsive to the diverse needs of children and young people, victim-survivors, families and communities.
Read Change for Children on the Change for Children Strategy page.
Our research
In our response to the Commission of Inquiry, we committed to engaging the National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse to create Tasmanian specific data as part of their Community Attitudes Towards Child Sexual Abuse Study. This study provides a comprehensive survey of the Australian community’s knowledge, attitudes and responses regarding a range of topics focused specifically on child sexual abuse. In creating the Tasmania-specific report, the National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse oversampled the Tasmanian community to allow for the comparison of Tasmanian data with the national statistics. The report provides a Tasmanian context and understanding of community attitudes, knowledge, and capability. More information can be found in the Australian child sexual abuse attitudes, knowledge and response study: Tasmania report.
Our response
On 1 December 2023, the Tasmanian Government released Keeping Children Safe and Rebuilding Trust. This provided the Government’s preliminary response to the Final Report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government's Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings.
More information can be found on the Government Response page.