The Interim Commissioner for Children and Young People is Ros Cornish AM
Ros upholds, protects and promotes the rights and wellbeing of children and young people under the age of 18 in Tasmania.
The Interim Commissioner is supported by a small team of staff. Their shared work is based on collaboration, mutual respect and recognition of the unique skills and expertise of each team member.
Ros Cornish AM is a nationally respected leader, with over 40 years’ experience spanning governance, policy, workforce development and sector reform.
Ros is best known for her leadership of Lady Gowrie Tasmania and her influential advocacy through Early Childhood Australia at state and national levels. Through these roles, she contributed to major system initiatives supporting quality, inclusion and sustainability, particularly for regional and small services.
A solutions‑focused advocate for children’s rights and wellbeing, her contributions were recognised with the 2022 Barbara Creaser Memorial Lecture Award and being appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2025 King’s Birthday Honours.
Ros will serve as Interim Commissioner until the process to appoint a new Commissioner under the Commission for Children and Young People Act 2025 is completed.
Patmalar Ambikapathy
Commissioner for Children, October 2000 – April 2004
David Fanning
Commissioner for Children, April 2004 – October 2006
Dr Susan Jenkins
Interim Commissioner for Children, December 2006 – April 2007
Paul Mason
Commissioner for Children, April 2007 – October 2010
Aileen Ashford
Commissioner for Children, October 2010 – June 2013
Elizabeth Daly
Acting Commissioner for Children, June 2013 – December 2013
Mark Morrissey
Commissioner for Children, October 2014 – June 2016
Mark Morrissey
Commissioner for Children and Young People*, July 2016 – September 2017
David Clements
Interim Commissioner for Children and Young People, September 2017 – November 2018
Leanne McLean
Commissioner for Children and Young People, November 2018 – October 2024
Isabelle Crompton
Interim Commissioner for Children and Young People, October 2024 – March 2026
Catherine Whitington
Interim Commissioner for Children and Young People, April 2026
Ros Cornish AM
Interim Commissioner for Children and Young People, April 2026 – current
* On 1 July 2016, the Commissioner for Children became the Commissioner for Children and Young People with the commencement of the Commissioner for Children and Young People Act 2016.