Physical, sexual and psychological child abuse in Tasmania

Many children under the care of government and church-run institutions in Tasmania were subjected to physical, sexual, and psychological abuse. This included orphaned children, and children removed from their families by the state, sometimes as the result of unjust policies and discriminatory laws.

The community trusted these institutions to take care of and protect vulnerable children. This trust was broken.

MEJ acts for survivors of abuse from numerous Tasmanian institutions including: 

• Wybra Hall
• Weeroona Girls’ Training Centre 
• Ashley Home for Boys (now Ashley Detention Centre) 
• Kennerley Boys’ Home (now Kennerley Children’s Home) 
• Barrington Boys’ Home 

Stories of abuse spurred the creation of the Commission of inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings. The report handed down four key conclusions along with 191 recommendations. 

The commission concluded: 

• The Tasmanian government’s response to allegations and incidents of child sexual abuse in institutions since 2000 had too often been inadequate.
• Tasmanian government institutions are generally safe for children and young people but some children are not safe and more needs to be done to improve their safety.
• The Tasmanian government does not often enough have the right systems in place to effectively address the risks and respond to incidents of child sexual abuse in institutions into the future.
• The Tasmanian government does not often enough have a culture that encourages feedback, reporting, monitoring and reflection when responding to incidents of child sexual abuse.

Tasmania’s Commission of Inquiry identified 22 public servants who allegedly committed child sexual abuse, and 42 who failed to take proper steps to prevent abuse or act on allegations. It has recently been discovered that more than six months after the Commission of inquiry report was handed down, 28 are still employed and under internal investigation, while 20 left before an investigation could be finished.

If you have been impacted by institutional abuse, you may be entitled to take action against the relevant institution and seek compensation. You may be able to claim compensation for the following:

• Pain and suffering;
• Past loss of earnings and future loss of earning capacity (including superannuation);
• Past and future medical treatment;
• Past and future gratuitous care (for example care provided by family or friends)
• Aggravated or exemplary damages, punishing the individual perpetrator or the institution who failed to protect you.

You may also seek a personal response or an apology. 

If you or a family member have experienced abuse, we encourage you to speak to a lawyer as soon as possible. At MEJ, we have an experienced team who are ready to speak with you confidentially about your options and possible next steps.

Don’t delay and contact MEJ for a free, no-obligation enquiry.