Tasmanian Government: The TFF wooden spoon award

The current Tasmanian Children's Commissioner Paul Mason has not been reappointed for a second term.

Instead, the Government has announced children's services bureaucrat Aileen Ashford will take on the role for a three-year term.

Premier David Bartlett says Ms Ashford, who has previously worked in Victoria, was one of five applicants short-listed for the job...

Mr Bartlett says she was selected by a panel of five people which included Ms Ashford's current boss.

Mr Bartlett acknowledged the work of the outgoing commissioner, Paul Mason, who two weeks ago released a report detailing systemic failures in Tasmania's child protection services.

The Premier said he expected there would be some disappointment that Mr Mason had not stayed in the job.

Its a week since Paul Mason reported into Tasmania’s child services after a 12-year-old girl was sold for sex. Now he won’t be re-appointed as Children’s Commissioner. The Opposition says it smacks of bias but the Premier says the panel was independent.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/10/14/3038443.htm?site=northtas

From an interview for the Tasmanian Times:

Interviewer: The children’s commissioner’s three-year term is up at the end of the month - and today Paul Mason found out he no longer has the job.

PAUL MASON: Personally I’m disappointed.

Interviewer: Is this in any way payback for your highly critical report into the 12-year-old girl who was sold for sex while in state care?

PAUL MASON: I’ll let the public and the media decide that.

...The Opposition’s spokeswoman, Vanessa Goodwin, says Ms Ashford won’t be independent.

VANESSA GOODWIN: I think it’s very difficult to put her in the position where effectively she’ll be critiquing her own reforms when it comes to the child protection system.

Interviwer: Five people sat on a panel that selected Ms Ashford. They included senior people from three government departments that the outgoing commissioner, Paul Mason, identified as failing to protect a 12-year-old girl in a recent report.

VANESSA GOODWIN: The timing of this is extraordinary. We have had the children’s commissioner Paul Mason, who has handed down a report into the case of the 12-year-old girl with very serious recommendations to government about ways to improve the child protection system; highlighting the systemic failures of that system and the failures across government agencies and now we see a very short time later he was not reappointed to this position; effectively sacked, you could say.

http://tasmaniantimes.com/index.php?/article/childrens-commissioner-sacked-after-criticising-tas-govt/

OII Australia chairperson Gina Wilson says, "Paul mason has been an engaged advocate for Intersex Children's rights since he became the Children's commissioner. He has used Intersex as his source and has always kept us informed of his activities on behalf of intersex kids.

The Tasmanian government has acted disgracefully and petulantly in taking this unwarranted action against the best friend a child could want. "

TFF understands that Mason's report was highly critical of government & child services, headed by Ms. Ashford, (who let a 12 year old girl be sold for sex to around 200 men while she was in their care).

The government have dismissed him with one week's notice, and
appointed the former head of child services, Ms. Ashford, to replace him.

Unbelievable!