Art is a healing activity for Lawrence Donaldson, who was sexually abused as a child.
"To be able to immerse yourself in something positive and creative is a counterbalance to other parts of life that can be quite dark," he said.
Along with his own trauma, hearing evidence given to the recent Tasmanian child sexual abuse commission of inquiry has been one of those dark parts of life for Mr Donaldson.
One of the commission's focus areas has been the Launceston General Hospital (LGH).
The commissioners heard shocking stories of the abuse of children by nurse James Geoffrey Griffin and of a series of missed opportunities for authorities to act, as well as allegations of child sexual abuse relating to another nurse and a doctor.
Mr Donaldson worked at LGH for several years in the 1990s as a business manager.
Counsel assisting the commission, Elizabeth Bennett SC, in September told the inquiry there had been a "lack of transparency and accountability" in the response to allegations of sexual abuse against Griffin, and that it may be open to the commission to find the response "invited suspicions of a deliberate cover-up".
In their evidence, LGH medical services director Peter Renshaw and human resources manager James Bellinger both denied there had been a deliberate cover-up.
Ms Bennett told the inquiry that, "but for the tenacity of staff and victim-survivors in continuing to raise their concerns leading to this commission, the substantial failures identified in the flow of critical information would have gone unknown and unaddressed".
The commission of inquiry is due to hand down its findings by May.
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency said it was considering the public evidence to the commission and "will consider whether any further investigations may be necessary".
Missed opportunity in 1999, according to Mr Donaldson
He said the evidence to the commission of inquiry had been distressing to hear, especially because he believes the hospital had a chance to demonstrate a safer culture in the late 1990s.
Mr Donaldson said a junior staff member came to him for help in 1999, alleging she was being sexually harassed by another staff member.
He said he took those concerns to his workplace superiors but believes nothing was done about it.
"It set up an environment where people would know, across the hospital, that if you were in a position of influence, you could do whatever you wanted to do," he said.
In the midst of evidence to the commission of inquiry, Mr Donaldson said he took his concerns about alleged inaction in the 1990s to police in August of this year. He said he made a statement and was advised it had been forwarded to the health department.
The department may choose to investigate whether there had been any breaches of the state service code of conduct.
Mr Donaldson said he tried for seven weeks to get acknowledgment from the department that it had received his statement.
"I wanted them to confirm that they had received the police statement [and] whether they would be acting on the complaint … those questions remain unanswered," he said.
"Seven weeks of actually trying to get them to acknowledge that they have the information makes me worry that my complaint is going to end up in the too-hard basket gathering dust."
Concern over 'lack of response'
The Tasmanian Greens have also been trying to get answers, with health spokeswoman Rosalie Woodruff asking Premier and Health Minister Jeremy Rockliff on October 18 "what action" is being taken in relation to Mr Donaldson's complaint.
Mr Rockliff's answer focused on changes the government was implementing following the commission of inquiry, which Dr Woodruff described as a "general shopping list of things the government is doing around the commission of inquiry" rather than a response to the question.
"We weren't asking for details … we just wanted to know that there had been an action," she said.
Dr Woodruff told state parliament:
"We have to understand why it is, in their [staff members who made a submission to the commission of inquiry] words, 'the informal power clique' that operates as the shadow administration in the LGH, invisible but highly influential; members who hold official positions within the conventional bureaucracy, patriarchal obviously, led by senior established iconic medicos; highly political, including connections with professional politicians; contemptuous of those considered undeserving; operating under a feudal system of allegiances and patronage; feared by official management and politicians; operating outside bureaucratic norms; self-interested and entitled, controlling key hospital appointments."
'Significant re-set of executive culture'
Health Department secretary Kathrine Morgan-Wicks told the ABC it was not appropriate for the department to comment on individual complaints.
"All current complaints, including those outside the scope of the commission of inquiry, are being reviewed and managed appropriately," Ms Morgan-Wicks said.
She said the Tasmanian government's child safe governance review had committed the department to a "significant re-set of the executive culture across the department … through the lens of child safety".
"This review is ongoing and while the final recommendations will be delivered next month to me as secretary, a number of interim recommendations have been made that are already being actioned. These complement other actions already being implemented to improve child safety."
Ms Morgan-Wicks said complaints processes had been improved, with an independent central complaints management oversight unit in her office, and a new centralised process to streamline the reporting of concerns.
Mr Donaldson said for cultural change to be successful, accountability was needed.
"Culture trumps systems and legislation every time. And accountability has to be at the heart of good culture and we need that if we want to protect those most vulnerable in our institutions, our staff and the community more broadly," he said.
Mr Donaldson said the sexual abuse he experienced had left him with a strong passion for the highest of ethics.
"I'm always going to side with the vulnerable people."
