Rachel* was groomed and sexually abused by a high school teacher in Tasmania. When Rachel's mother noticed some of the teacher's inappropriate behaviour on a sporting trip in the mid-2000s, she made a complaint.
CONTENT WARNING: This story contains details that may cause distress.
Investigations went on for two years before Rachel felt able to tell investigators the full story of the abuse, which went much further than her mother had realised.
Giving evidence on Wednesday to the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government's Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings, Rachel said neither she nor her mother were supported, and she did not feel like she was listened to.
"There was no support, we had no one advocating for us, no one guiding us and helping us through this process," she said.
She said they were left feeling isolated.
"The [education] department officials came to my mother and said that she was not allowed to talk about this case otherwise she could be sued for defamation," Rachel told the commission.
She told the commission that she sometimes met with the investigators alone.
She said she was confused by the teacher Wayne's* behaviour, and he made her feel responsible for him keeping his job, so she "felt in a way to protect him".
Two years after her mother made the complaint, Rachel was asked to another meeting to hear the outcome of the investigation. All along she had been trying to work up the courage to tell the full story but was unable to.
She said she would then "cry in my bed every night going, 'Why me, why me, why can't I just tell them the truth'."
Rachel told the commission she was informed at the meeting that Wayne had not breached the state service code of conduct.
"I broke down crying and I admitted to them what had actually happened," Rachel said.
She told the investigators about the times Wayne kissed her, how she felt pressured to kiss him, and the times he touched her inappropriately while alone with him in his car.
She said the investigators asked her to demonstrate and that they asked her to make a statement in writing. She was also encouraged to go to the police, which she did.
Rachel told the commission she did not feel listened to.
"I'm just reliving it, talking about it over and over," she said.
'I felt betrayed'
Wayne could not be charged with assault with indecent intent because for that charge to be laid, the complaint must be made within 12 months of the incident.
Later she saw a notice published in a newspaper that Wayne had not breached the state service code of conduct and had taken up another position.
Rachel and her family also complained to the Teachers Registration Board. She still has many unanswered questions about what happened with that process and told the commission a Right to Information request she made had been met with excuses and delays.
'I hope this story helps'
Education Department secretary Tim Bullard, who last year apologised for the department's handling of child sexual abuse, repeated that sentiment when he gave evidence on Wednesday.
He also apologised to those who had given evidence to the commission about their experiences — both of being abused and their dealings with the department in the aftermath.
"I want those people who've been courageous and brave enough to give evidence to know that I have heard them, I believe them, I apologise that the way in which they've interacted with the department has not always been respectful," Mr Bullard said.
"I have a good understanding, having reviewed the matter, about what happened to Rachel and also the way in which she was subsequently treated and her allegations were treated, and I extend my apology to Rachel."
Mr Bullard told the commission it was not possible to update complainants on the progress of their complaint.
"Because of the Personal Information Protection Act, at no time can we update the person who's made a complaint as to what stage that investigation's at, nor can we tell them that the investigation's complete or of the finding that's been made in relation to that, and that really concerns me," he said.
Emily Sanders from the Victorian Commission for Children and Young People told the commission that "following good investigative practice and good interviewing practice around children and young people should reduce the trauma on the child".
Ms Sanders said it was also important to consider what happens after an interview.
"Simply closing the door and saying, 'That was it', that's not an appropriate way to leave a young person who's just disclosed something that's very personal and very traumatic," she said.
Rachel told the commission she wanted to tell her story to help others.
"As difficult as it is and my pain and my suffering, I hope this story helps the commission," she said.
*Names have been changed.
