Who is the Commissioner for Children?
Paul Mason was appointed Commissioner for Children for Tasmania in 2007. The Commissioner is a Crown appointment independent of the Government of the day, responsible for advising Government about all matters concerning the health, welfare, development and education of children and their protection from all forms of abuse and neglect. His other primary role is raising public awareness about these matters.
Before that he had three decades experience both as a solicitor and barrister in all areas of family law including complex parenting and child protection cases across Australia.
He is deeply committed to the human rights of children and a strong believer in their capacity to make a valuable contribution to all decisions affecting their welfare and development.
The Commissioner for Children was established under section 78 of the Children, Young Persons and Their Families Act 1997. The development of the Act was informed by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Sections 79 and 80 of the Act set out the Commissioner for Children's functions and powers.
Page location: http://www.childcomm.tas.gov.au/cms/aboutus/whoisthecommissioner.php