Royal Commission to Work with Police

Sky News
January 10, 2013

http://www.skynews.com.au/topstories/article.aspx?id=834568


The federal government says it will appoint six royal commissioners to investigate cases of child sexual abuse.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the commissioners, to be appointed for three years, will be asked to provide an interim report within 18 months.

"The royal commission is going to have an enormous job ahead of it," Attorney-General Nicola Roxon told ABC Radio on Friday morning.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced the commission's terms of reference on Friday afternoon.

The commission will include an investigative unit to examine specific cases of sexual assault and institutional secrecy.

Ms Roxon acknowledged that six commissioners was a large number.

"But we think it's necessary to ensure that the range of people that need to be heard will be heard," she said, adding the government did not want the commission to take any longer than was necessary.

The investigative unit would make sure the inquiry did not stall as a result of having to investigate thousands of individual abuse cases.

Ms Roxon said the commission would not have the power to prosecute but would work closely with police.

'People need to be very clear that the commission is an investigative body which is going to make policy recommendations to the government about how we as a community can better protect children,' she said.

'But what the commission will need to do is be able to liaise very closely with police authorities across the country.'

Ms Roxon acknowledged that the commissioners may ask for more time to complete their inquiries.

'(We) hope that we can get recommendations from the commissioners in as short as time as possible,' she said.

That would allow the community to get on with implementing the recommendations and ensuring that children were better protected.

But the commission should be allowed to take as long as it needed, Ms Roxon said.