Media Release: Welcome Reforms to Commissions of Inquiry Act Underway

Welcome Reforms to Commissions of Inquiry Act Underway

Wednesday, 10 September 2025

Independent Member for Nelson Meg Webb MLC has welcomed progress of the Commissions of Inquiry Amendment (Private Sessions Information) Bill, passed by the State Lower House today, describing it as providing significant trauma-informed reform to the current Act  consistent with recommendations of the Final Report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings.

“Passage of this important reform Bill brings us a step closer to addressing obstacles to the provision of personal information of victim-survivors who participated in the recent Commission of Inquiry private sessions, as well as anyone participating in future Commissions of Inquiry,” Ms Webb said.

“The unfortunate obstacle this Bill seeks to address came to light due to work I undertook on behalf of a constituent in late 2024 who sought copies of their personal information provided during private sessions of the recent Commission of Inquiry.

“Despite the State Archive Office being the agreed repository for all Commission records as the appropriate entity to facilitate secure storage, retrieval and access of records independent of government agencies, the first instance of someone seeking access to their own records hit a serious unforeseen legal obstacle under Section 19C of the Commissions of Inquiry Act 1995.

“Provisions of the Act would prevent the release of a private session participant’s personal records to them unless any other third parties mentioned also agreed to their release, potentially retraumatising the participant during that process.

“This untenable situation was clearly contrary to the intent of the Commission when it directed that all its records were to be held by the independent State Archives Office in order to facilitate appropriate access to affected person’s personal information.

“I thank the Attorney-General, his staff and departmental staff for the serious attention provided to this matter when I raised it with them as a matter of urgency last year, and for the subsequent prioritisation of this Bill in the new Parliament.

“I look forward to this important Bill being similarly prioritised for debate in the Upper House when it next sits.  But for now it is deeply heartening for those brave people who provided deeply personal and traumatic information to the Commission, to know they are one step closer to being able to access those records of that brave action for themselves,” Ms Webb said.

See submission made by Meg Webb MLC to the Draft Consultation Bill, 30 April 2025 here