Robert Benjamin AM KC, Implementation Monitor, has released his 2025-26 Annual Report. The report provides an independent assessment of the Tasmanian Government’s progress in implementing child safety reforms across Tasmania, including the work that remains to ensure reforms lead to lasting improvements for children and young people.
During the year, the Office of the Implementation Monitor (OIM) independently appraised 276 recommendations across five inquiries and reviews, including the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings.
The report found that 33 per cent of recommendations were assessed as completed, 21 per cent as substantially progressed and 6 per cent as having achieved embedded change.
Robert said the findings demonstrated progress across the reform program, but completing recommendations is only one part of ensuring reforms achieve their intended purpose:
“Significant work has been undertaken to implement child safety reforms in Tasmania. However, progress on recommendations is not, in itself, evidence that lasting change has been achieved.
“We need to see that reforms are being embedded in everyday practice and that they are improving the safety and wellbeing of children and young people.
“My role is to independently assess implementation, report publicly on progress and hold the Government accountable for delivering these important reforms.”
The 2025-26 reporting period was an important year in establishing the OIM’s monitoring and evaluation processes, including the development and use of its Implementation Framework.
The report establishes a baseline for future reporting and describes how the OIM will increasingly focus on whether reforms are working in practice, becoming embedded in systems and services, and contributing to better outcomes for children and young people. The work also aims to improve systems that lead to the prevention of child sexual abuse in Tasmania.
Listening to children, young people, victim-survivors, Aboriginal people and other stakeholders remains an important part of the Monitor’s work. Their experiences and perspectives help identify how reforms are operating in practice, where progress is being made and where further attention is needed. Robert said:
“Knowledge of the experiences of people affected by these systems are an essential part of understanding whether reforms are working as intended.
“I will continue to listen to people with lived experience and other stakeholders as my Office monitors implementation and evaluates progress.”
The Annual Report is presented in two parts: the main report and a Companion Document (containing more detailed supporting information). An Easy Read Guide and accompanying animation have also been developed to make the report’s key information more accessible.
The Annual Report, Companion Document and Easy Read Guide are available on the Office of the Implementation Monitor’s website: https://oim.tas.gov.au/annual-report.