As you probably know, hearings into Ashley will commence later this week at the Commission of Inquiry.

The media reporting will likely cause some further stress and there could be more interest from other people you know in the community, too. No doubt some of this will be negative and some of it will be inaccurate.

Child sexual abuse is a repugnant crime that carries serious penalties. Like the wider community, HACSU supports those convicted of these crimes receiving the full weight of the law. We also want to remove any barriers to young people reporting abuse.

You know first hand that primarily the circumstances now being exposed are as a result of government carelessness, lack of oversight and mismanagement over many decades but at this stage the focus of the Inquiry has not been on the systems issues but on individual stories. We look forward to the moment the Commission informs itself on these matters.

We have asked for further and additional support for workers, particularly this week, and we encourage you to report any concern you have in writing by email to the operations coordinator or by the safety reporting system. We encourage you to stay away from engaging in debates on social media and to seek support if you're feeling stressed or confused or indeed angry.

For further information or assistance, please contact HACSU on 1300 880 032 or assist@hacsu.org.au