Background
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| Inquiries | Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability |
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| Commissioners |
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| Inquiry period | 4 April 2019–present |
| Constituting instrument | Royal Commissions Act 1902 (Cth) |
| Website | disability |
The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability is a royal commission established on 4 April 2019 by the Australian government pursuant to the Royal Commissions Act 1902. The Honourable Ronald Sackville AO , KC , who serves as Chair of the Royal Commission, The Honourable Roslyn Atkinson AO , Ms Barbara Bennett PSM , Dr Rhonda Galbally AC , Ms Andrea Mason OAM , Mr Alastair McEwin AM , and The Honourable John Ryan AM currently serve as Royal Commissioners. [1]
The Commissioners are required to provide an interim report by 30 October 2020, and a final report by 29 April 2022. [2]
At the time of its establishment, information about the Royal Commission was issued in AUSLAN and in easy read formats. [3]
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On 4 April 2019, the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, General The Hon. Sir Peter Cosgrove AK , MC (Ret'd) issued Commonwealth letters patent appointing The Hon. Ronald Sackville, Ms Barbara Bennett, Dr Rhonda Galbally, Ms Andrea Mason, Mr Alastair McEwin and The Hon. John Ryan as Commissioners and detailing the commission's terms of reference. [2]
The Commissioners were appointed to be a Commission of inquiry, and required and authorised to inquire into the following matters: [2]
The Commissioners were directed to make any recommendations arising out of their inquiry that they consider appropriate, including recommendations about any policy, legislative, administrative or structural reforms. [2]
The Commissioners, without limiting the scope of their inquiry or the scope of any recommendations arising out of their inquiry that they may consider appropriate, were also directed to, for the purposes of their inquiry and recommendations, to have regard to the following matters: [2]
Where appropriate, the Commissioners were directed to not inquire into matters that lie within the scope of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. [2]
On 4 April 2019 the government appointed The Hon. Ronald Sackville, Ms Barbara Bennett, Dr Rhonda Galbally, Ms Andrea Mason, Mr Alastair McEwin and The Hon. John Ryan as commissioners to the royal commission. [2] On 13 September 2019 the government appointed The Hon. Roslyn Atkinson as a seventh Commissioner.
The powers of Royal Commissions in Australia are set out in the enabling legislation, the Royal Commissions Act 1902 (Cth).
The Royal Commissions Amendment Act 2013 (Cth) was approved by Parliament to give the Child Abuse Royal Commission additional powers to fulfil its Terms of Reference. Notable changes were:
Royal Commissions, appointed pursuant to the Royal Commissions Act or otherwise, have powers to issue a summons to a person to appear before the Commission at a hearing to give evidence or to produce documents specified in the summons; require witnesses to take an oath or give an affirmation; and require a person to deliver documents to the Commission at a specified place and time. [6] A person served with a summons or a notice to produce documents must comply with that requirement, or face prosecution for an offence. The penalty for conviction upon such an offence is a fine of A$1,000 or six months imprisonment. [7] A Royal Commission may authorise the Australian Federal Police to execute search warrants. [8]
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| | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (April 2019) |
The federal government requested that the Commissioners provide an interim report by 30 October 2020, and a final report by 29 April 2022. [2]
A royal commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue in some monarchies. They have been held in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, Malaysia, Mauritius and Saudi Arabia. A royal commission is similar in function to a commission of inquiry found in other countries such as Ireland, South Africa, and Hong Kong. It has considerable powers, generally greater even than those of a judge but restricted to the terms of reference of the commission. These powers include subpoenaing witnesses, taking evidence under oath and requesting documents.
The Australian Human Rights Commission is the national human rights institution of Australia, established in 1986 as the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) and renamed in 2008. It is a statutory body funded by, but operating independently of, the Australian Government. It is responsible for investigating alleged infringements of Australia's anti-discrimination legislation in relation to federal agencies.
The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (RCIADIC) (1987–1991), also known as the Muirhead Commission, was a Royal Commission appointed by the Australian Government in October 1987 to Federal Court judge James Henry Muirhead , to study and report upon the underlying social, cultural and legal issues behind the deaths in custody of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, in the light of the high level of such deaths in the 1980s.
The Royal Commission into the Building and Construction Industry, or informally the Cole Royal Commission, was a Royal Commission established by the Australian government to inquire into and report upon alleged misconduct in the building and construction industry in Australia. The establishment of the Commission followed various unsuccessful attempts by the Federal Government to impose greater regulation upon the conduct of industrial relations in that industry.
Reconciliation Australia is a non-government, not-for-profit foundation established in January 2001 to promote a continuing national focus for reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. It was established by the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation, which was established to create a framework for furthering a government policy of reconciliation in Australia.
Rhonda Galbally AC has been a CEO, Chair and board member for over thirty years, across business and the not for profit sector, the public sector and philanthropy.
Ronald Sackville is the Chair of the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability. He is a former acting judge of the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of New South Wales and also a former judge of the Federal Court of Australia.
John Francis Ryan is a former Australian politician. He was a Liberal Party member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1991 to 2007. He was the Liberal Deputy Leader in the Legislative Council from 2003 to 2007.
The Royal Commissions Act 1902 is an Australian Act of Parliament which authorises the Australian Governor-General to initiate an investigation, referred to as a Royal Commission. Royal Commissions are a major independent public inquiry into an issue, initiated by the Australian Government. They often investigate cases of political corruption or matters of significant public concern.
Maguire v SOCOG 2000 was a legal case in Australia about making a website accessible to a visually impaired person.
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse was a royal commission announced in November 2012 and established in 2013 by the Australian government pursuant to the Royal Commissions Act 1902 to inquire into and report upon responses by institutions to instances and allegations of child sexual abuse in Australia. The establishment of the commission followed revelations of child abusers being moved from place to place instead of their abuse and crimes being reported. There were also revelations that adults failed to try to stop further acts of child abuse. The commission examined the history of abuse in educational institutions, religious groups, sporting organisations, state institutions and youth organisations. The final report of the commission was made public on 15 December 2017.
The Royal Commission into the Home Insulation Program was a Royal Commission established by the Australian government pursuant to the Royal Commissions Act 1902 (Cth) to inquire into the matters that may have arisen from the development and implementation of the Australian government's Home Insulation Program. The establishment of the commission followed the death of four workers who died in separate incidents that may have been attributed to the failure to identify and manage the workplace health and safety and other risks associated with the implementation and management of the Program. The Royal Commission inquired into and reported on the deaths, serious injuries and impacts on longstanding home insulation businesses alleged to have arisen from the Program.
The Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption was a Royal Commission established by the Government of Australia to inquire into alleged financial irregularities associated with the affairs of trade unions. The Australian Workers Union, Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union, Electrical Trades Union, Health Services Union and the Transport Workers Union were named in the terms of reference. The Royal Commission inquired into the activities relating to slush funds and other similar funds and entities established by, or related to, the affairs of these organisations.
The Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory is a Royal Commission established in 2016 by the Australian Government pursuant to the Royal Commissions Act 1902 to inquire into and report upon failings in the child protection and youth detention systems of the Government of the Northern Territory. The establishment of the commission followed revelations broadcast on 25 July 2016 by the ABC TV Four Corners program which showed abuse of juveniles held in the Don Dale Juvenile Detention Centre in Darwin.
The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care is a royal commission established in 2018 by the New Zealand government pursuant to the Inquiries Act 2013 to inquire into and report upon responses by institutions to instances and allegations of historical abuse in state care and faith based institutions between 1950 and 2000.
The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety is a royal commission established on 8 October 2018 by the Australian government pursuant to the Royal Commissions Act 1902. The Honourable Richard Tracey and Ms Lynelle Briggs were appointed as Royal Commissioners. The Commissioners were required to provide an interim report by 31 October 2019, and a final report by 30 April 2020. Tracey died of cancer in October 2019 and was replaced by Tony Pagone. The final report was tabled on 1 March 2021.
The Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements, also referred to as the Bushfires Royal Commission, was a royal commission established in 2020 by the Australian government to inquire into and report upon natural disaster management coordination as it related to the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season. The Commission was charged with the responsibility of examining the coordination, preparedness for, response to and recovery from disasters, as well as improving resilience and adapting to changing climatic conditions and mitigating the impact of natural disasters.
The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide is a royal commission established on 8 July 2021 by the Australian government pursuant to the Royal Commissions Act 1902. The Royal Commissioners are required to provide an interim report by 11 August 2022, and a final report by 15 June 2023.
The Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme is a royal commission established on 18 August 2022 by the Australian Government pursuant to the Royal Commissions Act 1902. The Royal Commissioner is required to provide a final report by 30 June 2023.
