More time urged for abused ward compo

Hundreds of Tasmanians have already been compensated for the cruelty, violence and neglect they suffered while in state care.

Tasmanian Premier, David Bartlett is being urged to extend the deadline for people who were abused as wards of the state in Tasmania to apply for compensation.

Hundreds of Tasmanians have already been compensated for the cruelty, violence and neglect they suffered while in state care.

But after complaints from people who missed out on the first scheme, the Government opened a new and final round, with three months to apply and $10 million on offer.

The Government says at the beginning of May, 390 people had applied for redress.

Leonie Sheedy, from the support network CLAN, says the June 30 deadline should be extended, or others will miss out.

"We're going to be faced with the same situation all over again, in six months time," she said.

"I'd like to ask the Premier of Tasmania to extend the deadline for people to put in their applications, because the Queensland Government have extended their redress scheme."

Ms Sheedy says she is still hearing from people who have only just heard of the compensation scheme.

Related:

Formal sorry to child abuse victims
Hundreds of people who were abused as children while in state care will get a formal apology from the South Australian Parliament today.

SA commits $190m to counter child abuse
Former Supreme Court justice Ted Mullighan released the results of his three-year inquiry into the abuse of children in state care on April 1, revealing abuse occurred in every type of care from the 1940s onward.

Child abuse compo must be fairer: lawyer
The recent Mullighan inquiry investigated cases of abuse among former state wards and made a range of recommendations to the SA Government.

Compensation for SA sex abuse victims
The South Australian Government says it will focus on compensation for victims, now that the inquiry into the sexual abuse of children in state care is complete.

Premier outlines a caring state

The Premier, Paul Lennon has committed to halving the number of homeless people in Tasmania by the end of 2010, as well as tackling child abuse and social disadvantage.

Mr Lennon told Parliament the Government will fight poverty, mental illness and family breakdown with a Social Inclusion Unit.

A former director of the Catholic Social Welfare Commission will work with the unit, which will be in the department of Premier and Cabinet.

The Tasmanian Council of Social Service has welcomed the move, with the chief executive, Tom Muller saying the unit needs a clear focus.

"From our perspective a social inclusion unit has got to be driving a government agenda to tackle poverty and disadvantage," he said.

The Premier also appointed a housing expert to advise the Government on how to reduce homelessness.

Roseanne Haggerty founded the not for profit housing organisation Common Ground Community in New York, and has also worked to combat homelessness in Adelaide.

Mr Lennon says his first objective will target emergency housing and people who have no home.

The Government recently added $60 million to its public housing fund.

Anglicare's chief executive, Chris Jones, wants an urgent start on halving the number of homeless Tasmanians.

"We need that to happen quickly," he said.

"We need initiatives that will lead to keys to people's homes soon."

Mr Lennon also announced a commitment to reducing the number of children on care and protection orders, as well as increasing literacy and numeracy levels.