The astronomical blowout in the Tasmanian budget deficit is primarily due to the enormous provisions required for payouts to potentially thousands of victim-survivors of CSA in State institutions, and implementing the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry. Even those dismissive of child sexual abuse and its harms to children must confront this fiscal reality.

With concerns of backsliding voiced by experts after the Commonwealth Royal Commission and post the Tasmania COI, business leaders need to be pressing Government to ensure that reforms are working and that enhanced safeguarding is ending rampant CSA in our institutions.

Tasmania cannot afford to financially underwrite the cost of ongoing pay-outs! Institutional leaders who fail in their duty of care to keep children and other vulnerable people safe must be held fully accountable. Accountability is foundational to prevention.

Key takeaways

1. Ending CSA is both a moral and an economic imperative!
2. Social problems that can be solved just with money are the easy ones.
3. Strong political leadership and moral courage are also needed to drive cultural change when it comes to ending Child Sexual Abuse.
4. The reticence of Government to make institutional leaders accountable for cover-ups undermines reforms and invites a new generation of CSA victims.