Sam Leishman hopes the Commission of Inquiry looking at the Tasmanian government's responses to child sexual abuse in state institutions will provide answers and much-needed change.
Mr Leishman was sexually abused by a teacher at Hobart's New Town High School in the 1970s.
The teacher, Darrel George Harington, has since been jailed for the sexual abuse of boys in the 1970s, 80s and 90s.
Education Department documents showed numerous complaints were made about Harington and that he was moved from school to school.
"For quite a few years now I've been trying to get some answers from the Department of Education about my own circumstances, and during that time I've found that I'm not alone; there are a lot of people that are struggling to find answers regarding their own circumstances," he said.
"It looks like we're going to have a really deep, thorough investigation [by the Commission of Inquiry] as to why some of those problems have occurred in the past."
Why does Tasmania need a Commission of Inquiry?
In late 2020, then-premier Peter Gutwein, under increasing pressure as allegations relating to three departments mounted, announced a commission of inquiry to investigate the Tasmanian government's responses to child sexual abuse in state institutions.
Those allegations related to the Education Department, the Launceston General Hospital (LGH) and the Ashley Youth Detention Centre.
These, along with out-of-home care, will be the four key focus areas of the commission.
"The Commission of Inquiry is an investigation. Its purpose is to investigate and explore child abuse allegations to try and find out what were the systemic failures… and then put forward some really informed reforms in relation to child safety standards in Tasmania," Maurice Blackburn abuse lawyer Zoe Papageorgiou said.
The federal Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual abuse did not specifically look at Tasmanian government institutions, and Ms Papageorgiou said this may have left Tasmanian survivors with a sense of hopelessness and delayed Tasmanian institutions being brought to account.
"The Commission of Inquiry has changed the culture even in the last six months where there's a reinvigoration of survivors coming forward in that hope of finally being heard, and, even better, for reform to happen," she said.
Odin Lawyers principal Sebastian Buscemi said: "My real hope is that it gets to the bottom of why we've seen such systemic issues across so many government departments for so long, that persist to this day."
At the commission's opening hearing in October, counsel assisting the commission Maree Norton said the commission was concerned that child sexual abuse within Tasmanian government institutions "may have been… made possible by structural weaknesses in how these institutions understand and respond to child sexual abuse" and that "at worst there may have been an active cover-up or minimisation to protect reputations and institutional interests".
How will it work?
Apart from the opening hearing, the commissioners have also been consulting and holding private sessions.
Commission president Marcia Neave — a retired Victorian judge — and commissioners Leah Bromfield and Robert Benjamin, an internationally-recognised academic in the field of child abuse and neglect and a retired Family Court judge respectively — are hearing from victim-survivors and witnesses.
Public servants have been told they have an important role to play in providing relevant information.
Mr Leishman will give evidence in the public hearings, but he also spoke to one of the commissioners in a private session, something he said was a positive experience.
"They listened very closely to my concerns and had some really good questions, and some deep questions to ask me and I felt that I was well listened to and heard," he said.
So far, six weeks of public hearings are scheduled in Hobart and Launceston. The first two weeks of hearings start in Hobart on Monday.
The first week will set the commission up, with hearings to focus on, among other aspects, the nature and effect of child sexual abuse, the Tasmanian context and opportunities for change.
The second week of hearings will focus on the Education Department.
Mr Leishman will be among those giving evidence that week.
He said he had mixed feelings about giving evidence in a public forum, but that it was something he really wanted to do.
"I really want to see things laid on the table, I want to know what's gone wrong, and I want to take part in a process to make sure that things don't happen again in the future, that things are improved for future generations," he said.
Hope and nerves
Tiffany Skeggs, who was sexually abused by Launceston nurse James Geoffrey Griffin, will give evidence when the commission's focus turns to the Health Department.
Ms Skeggs is one of several people who made allegations against Griffin, and the commission will examine how complaints against him were handled and whether they were responded to appropriately.
Ms Skeggs has spoken publicly about the abuse.
"Speaking out about my experiences, both in coming forward to police and speaking out publicly, has been an excruciating process," she said.
"It's been very validating as well, but certainly I've faced my challenges along the way, and continue to.
She said she was not sure how to feel about the upcoming public hearings.
"It's been an absolute whirlwind of emotions for me… I'm terrified and excited at the same time.
"It feels like the one and only opportunity that our state will ever have to be heard on this kind of scale and to make this magnitude of difference for our children.
"It's so important and so pivotal that we get it right so it's extremely nerve-wracking, but I'm hopeful that it will provide the insight that it needs to."
What happens next?
The commission may schedule more hearings if there is demand.
It is expected to hand down its final report and recommendations by May 1, 2023.
The state government has said it intends to adopt all recommendations.
