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AAP
AAP
Politics
Ethan James

No misconduct notices sent to public servants: premier

The premier rejected an assertion some public servants received misconduct notices from the inquiry. (Loic Le Guilly/AAP PHOTOS)

Tasmania's premier has rejected claims senior public servants and government departments were accused of misconduct by an inquiry into child sexual abuse.

A commission of inquiry into government responses to abuse allegations in state institutions detailed systemic failings over decades in its final report published in late September.

It made one finding of misconduct against Peter Renshaw, who was medical director at a hospital where a pedophile nurse worked for nearly 20 years.

The inquiry said it was "difficult and in some cases impossible" to make some findings it wanted because of complex legislation and "interpretations" adopted by lawyers.

The inquiry sent 30 allegation-of-misconduct notices to 22 individuals but apart from Dr Renshaw, none were publicly named.

Independent upper house member Meg Webb used parliamentary privilege to name 22 individuals and eight entities, including senior public servants and government departments, she believed may have been issued notices.

Ms Webb said there were exactly 22 individuals, including Dr Renshaw, and eight entities who provided procedural fairness responses to the inquiry.

She said those who provided the responses had question marks hanging over them.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff on Wednesday told state parliament Ms Webb's assertion was "wrong at law and inaccurate" and had maligned many individuals and entities.

"It is wrong to say or assume that if a person or organisation has provided a procedural fairness response they must have been accused of wrongdoing or have been issued any notice about misconduct or adverse findings," he said.

"As an example, victim-survivors who engaged with the commission had a reasonable expectation that their experiences will be accurately described by a commission.

"If they did not believe that the commission's work fairly described their experience - they may have made a procedural fairness response.

"If the state of Tasmania wrote to the commission to say that they had a date wrong, or a job title incorrectly described - that is a procedural fairness response."

Mr Rockliff said none of the entities or individuals named by Ms Webb had received a misconduct or adverse allegation notice.

Ms Webb said she didn't make allegations against individuals but was seeking clarity and says an independent review is needed.

Mr Rockliff said an independent audit investigating "concerns" raised by the inquiry about state servants would commence in early 2024 and be public when completed.

Commission for Children and Young People Leanne McLean, one of the individuals named by Ms Webb, said she had not been served with any misconduct notices or had any adverse findings foreshadowed.

In a statement on October 17, Mr Rockliff said the commission did not provide the state with a list of individuals who received notices.

The commission referred more than 100 people to authorities during their investigations.

It found there was a "live and current" risk of sexual abuse at the state's Ashley Youth Detention Centre and recommended it be shut as soon as possible.

The government has said it will close the centre as quickly as it can but hasn't provided a timeline.

The government has pledged to implement the inquiry's 191 recommendations and will provide a detailed response in December.

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