Child sexual abuse at Royal Hobart Hospital
Royal Hobart Hospital is Tasmania’s largest public hospital and the primary health service for southern Tasmania. For most patients and families it has served, it has been a place of care. But for some children and young people, experiences within the hospital or connected to its staff fell far short of that standard, and evidence heard by Tasmania’s Commission of Inquiry suggests that the response to those experiences was not always what it should have been.
The Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings, which delivered its final report in September 2023, received evidence of allegations of child sexual abuse linked to Royal Hobart Hospital. While the Commission’s most detailed case studies focused on Launceston General Hospital – where paediatric nurse James Griffin committed abuse over nearly two decades, the Commission made clear that the failures it identified were not unique to a single institution. The issues it examined have implications for health services across the Tasmanian system.
It is also worth noting that there is currently a criminal case on foot involving Royal Hobart Hospital. While MEJ is unable to comment on the specifics of ongoing proceedings, this development underscores the importance of survivors knowing their rights and coming forward to seek advice.
A systemic problem
Children in hospital are, by their nature, in a position of vulnerability. They may be separated from their usual family and support networks, in unfamiliar environments, and reliant on the care and authority of medical professionals. The Commission of Inquiry acknowledged that this vulnerability creates conditions in which abuse can occur – and in which children and their families may not question the access a health practitioner has to a child’s body.
Counsel Assisting the Commission raised the possibility that allegations of child sexual abuse committed by multiple perpetrators in Tasmanian public hospitals may have been ignored or, in some cases, deliberately covered up. These findings place the conduct of individuals within a broader institutional context – one in which the protection of institutional reputation too often took precedence over the safety of children.
Who may be affected
If you or someone you know was a patient at Royal Hobart Hospital – as a child or young person – and experienced abuse, inappropriate conduct, or treatment that felt wrong, you may be entitled to seek legal advice and, potentially, compensation.
You do not need to have made a formal complaint at the time. Many survivors carry these experiences for years or decades before feeling able to come forward, and recent changes to Tasmanian law have made it significantly easier to do so.
How MEJ can help
At MEJ, we have helped hundreds of Tasmanians affected by institutional abuse to pursue fair compensation and, where appropriate, formal acknowledgment from the institutions responsible. We will listen to your experience with care and without judgment, and give you honest advice about your options. There is no cost to getting in touch.
If you or someone you know has been affected by abuse in any of these settings, MEJ is here to help. Contact us today for a free, confidential conversation with our team, or call 1800 570 778.
If you need immediate support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Sexual Assault Crisis Line on 1800 697 877 (available 24/7).