Creation of a new Commission for Children and Young People
The Tasmanian Government is establishing a new Commission for Children and Young People (the new Commission), responsible for a wide range of functions to further strengthen Tasmania's child protection oversight system and advocate for children and young people.
This also fulfills an important recommendation made through the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings (the COI).
What will the new Commission do?
First and foremost, the new Commission will advocate for and champion the rights of children and young people.
The new Commission will do this by:
- recommending system improvements to the Tasmanian Government
- conducting inquiries into systemic issues
- promoting the rights, safety and wellbeing, and participation of children and young people; and
- monitoring and reviewing the wellbeing, care and treatment of children and young people in the out-of-home care and youth justice systems, including data and information about serious incidents.
Roles within the new Commission
Three Commissioners will lead the new Commission. They are the:
- Commissioner for Children and Young People
- Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People; and
- Child Advocate.
During the initial transitional phase, the Independent Regulator will also form part of the new Commission and continue to undertake crucial functions under the Child and Youth Safe Organisations Act.
The primary focus of the role of Commissioner for Children and Young People is to protect and promote the best interests of all children and young people. That role will also involve being the Head of the Agency which means responsibility for the day-to-day administrative and related governance functions. That does not mean that this Commissioner can determine how the other two Commissioners perform their statutory functions and powers. The Commissioner for Children and Young People will ultimately also hold another key statutory position of Independent Regulator, and a transitional phase.
The Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People will advocate for the safety, wellbeing and interests of Aboriginal children and young people, including in the out-of-home care system and youth justice system.
The Child Advocate will advocate for the safety, wellbeing and interests of children and young people, including in out-of-home care system and youth justice system. This Commissioner is also responsible for establishing and administering an independent visitor scheme (assisted in doing so by the Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People).
Importantly, none of the functions of the current Commissioner for Children and Young People or the Independent Regulator will be lost as we move to a new Commission. In fact, there will be new and expanded functions which are intended to improve and promote child safety in Tasmania.
When will the new Commission be established?
It will take some time to physically establish the new Commission, to appoint the new Commissioners and set up infrastructure that supports the Commission to fulfil its functions in a way that best meets the needs of Tasmanian children and young people.
The Department of Justice is responsible for this and has commenced a project to complete it.
The Tasmanian Parliament passed the legislation that supports the new Commission in December 2025. It commences through a proclamation process, which allows parts of the Act to be ‘turned on’ in stages, to match the Commissioners’ appointment processes. The recruitment of the Commissioner for Children and Young People is in progress and this Commissioner will be appointed first in accordance with the Commission of Inquiry recommendations.
Soon after, the recruitment of the Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People and the Child Advocate will commence.
At first, the roles of Commissioner for Children and Young People and Independent Regulator will be held separately while the current Independent Regulator continues in that role. The legislation covers this by immediately making the Independent Regulator, as an individual role, part of the Commission. This covers the transitional period.
The new Commission is expected to be fully operational in 2027. This means all three Commissioners can be appointed in time to share in decision making about the Commission’s future operating model.
This site will be updated on a regular basis to keep you informed of progress and next steps.
If you have any queries regarding the establishment of the new Commission, please contact ccypproject@justice.tas.gov.au
Youth Selection Panel
The Commission for Children and Young People Act 2025 says that children and young people must be involved in choosing the three leaders (called Commissioners) of the new Commission. That is why we will establish a Youth Selection Panel to help ensure that perspectives of children and young people are central to the selection process of these critical leadership positions.
The Department of Justice is currently advertising an Expression of Interest for Tasmanians aged 16-21 to participate in this Youth Selection Panel. For more information about the Youth Selection Panels please click here.
Frequently asked questions
Who will the Commission report to?
The new Commission will be independent from government. This means it will be responsible for its own budget, staffing and operations. It won’t be under the direction or control of any Minister. The Commission will be required to publicly report on its actions through written reports. It will also be directly accountable to Parliament, and a Parliamentary Committee will monitor and review how it works.
What will the Commissioner for Children and Young People do?
The Commissioner for Children and Young People shares the many general powers and functions of the Commission with the other two Commissioners, but not their specific extra ability to carry out individual advocacy for specific children and young people.
However, the Commissioner for Children and Young People has extra administrative responsibilities as the head of the agency. Additionally, the person in that role will eventually also hold the role of Independent Regulator – who oversees Tasmanian organisations (including sole traders) required to comply with the Child and Youth Safe Organisations Framework.
What will the Child Advocate do?
The Child Advocate will establish and administer an independent community visitor scheme and a permanent advisory group relating to out of home care.
The Child Advocate has functions and powers to advocate for children, with a particular focus on children and young people in out-of-home care and youth detention.
The Child Advocate can assist children and young people in making complaints to the Ombudsman and other statutory complaints authorities, and uphold and promote the rights of children and young people in out of home care and the youth justice system.
What will the Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People do?
The Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People (CACYP) will advocate for Aboriginal children and young people.
This role has similar functions and powers to the Child Advocate but will have a specific focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people, and the person holding the role must be known to be an Aboriginal of Torres Strait Islander person.
While not ultimately responsible for the independent community visitor scheme, they will still play a key role in its establishment and ongoing operation.
What happens to the current Commissioner for Children and Young People, and the Office of the Independent Regulator?
Both of these important offices continue unchanged until the new legislation commences and the new Commissioners are appointed. Their roles and functions are enhanced by the new legislation. All staff of these two offices will transition to the new Commission once established.
You can still contact the Office of the Independent Regulator and current Commissioner for Children and Young People
How can children and young people have a say in the project to establish the new Commission?
At various stages throughout the project, children and young people will be invited to participate in workshops, surveys and panels.
Who can I contact if I have questions?
The CCYP Project Team are available to answer questions you have about the new Commission. You can contact the Project Team by email at ccypproject@justice.tas.gov.au