Tasmania's government has "too often" responded inadequately to allegations or instances of child sexual abuse, sometimes because of ignorance or a desire to protect reputations.
The heads of an inquiry into abuse in state-run institutions delivered their final remarks on Wednesday after nine weeks of public hearings in 2022.
Commission president Marcia Neave said the inquiry had referred more than 100 people to police and child protection authorities during their investigation.
The commission also called for the troubled Ashley Youth Detention Centre to be closed as a matter of urgency.
The inquiry has previously been told it is open to conclude Ashley, which has operated for some two decades, is itself a "monster".
The state government has pledged to shut the centre by the end of 2024 but that deadline is expected to be pushed back.
The inquiry was told harrowing accounts of abuse and government failings in the justice, education, health and out-of-home care systems.
Its final report will be delivered to the governor on Thursday and is expected to be made public on September 26.
Ms Neave said the report contained 75 findings and 191 recommendations, including for urgent short-term reform to address "serious deficits" in the care of children at Ashley.
"Has the Tasmanian government's response to allegations and incidents of child sexual abuse in institutions since 2000 been adequate? The answer is too often 'no'," she said.
"While we saw pockets of good practice, this was often a result of the initiative and good judgment of individuals rather than something encouraged and enforced by a broader system."
More commonly, institutions did not recognise child sexual abuse for what it was and failed to act decisively to manage risks and investigate complaints.
"Sometimes this was due to a lack of guidance and direction ... it was also due to ignorance, inertia and a desire to protect reputational interests," Ms Neave said.
The state government has committed to implementing all of the report's recommendations.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff, who attended the closing hearing, recognised the enduring pain of survivors and said Ashley would be closed "as soon as possible".
"I am truly sorry governments of past and present have let you down," he told reporters.
The inquiry was called in 2020 after allegations against Ashley workers and Launceston General Hospital nurse James Geoffrey Griffin were aired.
Griffin, who worked on the children's ward for about 18 years, took his own life in late 2019 after being charged with multiple child sexual abuse offences.
The inquiry was told of red flags about Griffin's conduct being missed or not properly investigated by hospital management, as well as inadequacies during police investigations.
Commissioner Leah Bromfield said there had been a "persistent" lack of funding for out-of-home-care and youth detention.
"Youth detention appears to have remained stuck in the past with outdated views that have proven to be harmful rather than rehabilitative," she said.
Human rights organisations including Amnesty International Australia have called for Ashley to be shut immediately.
Ms Neave said the commission was grateful to the many people who had come forward.
"If the necessary changes are not made, children will continue to be subjected to child sexual abuse in those institutions," she said.
Flagged reforms included the embedding of safe, accessible and transparent complaints processes and age-appropriate sexual education delivered each year in public schools.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
