Royal Commissions and Public Inquiries

Royal commissions and other forms of public inquiries are used by all governments. Inquiries such as the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse, the Hayne Banking Royal Commission and the Covid-19 Hotel Quarantine Inquiry are a frequent response by government to a major issue or event. Most Australian governments also have standing bodies with inquisitorial powers. The Federal Government has a variety of standing commissions, such as the Australian Crime Commission and the National Anti-Corruption Commission. Nearly every state now has a corruption commission, and several have crime commissions and police integrity bodies, all with coercive investigative powers. Coronial inquests occur in every state and territory. Lawyers advising clients affected by these inquiries require a detailed knowledge of their procedural rules, administrative and constitutional law, procedural fairness, common law privileges and other rights.