Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

I welcome the contribution of all members to the debate on the Royal Commissions Amendment Bill 2013. The measures in the Royal Commissions Amendment Bill 2013 will assist the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse to undertake its important inquiry and to facilitate participation in the commission by those who wish to tell their story. The changes proposed have been designed to ensure that the royal commission can work quickly to deliver recommendations that will make real improvements and hear from a wide range of people. To achieve these aims, we need to give the commission as much flexibility as we can in the manner of its operation.

Making sure that the royal commission can directly hear the personal stories of people affected by child sexual abuse in institutional contexts will be very important in assisting the commission to understand past failings and to develop recommendations so that past failures are not repeated. The private session measures in the bill will facilitate voluntary participation in the royal commission by people affected by child sexual abuse in institutions. Participants will not need to tell their story on oath or affirmation. They will have the same protections as a witness appearing at a formal hearing of the commission. The commission will also be able to authorise support persons to accompany the person giving information at a private session. The commission will be able to use information it has received in a private session in a report, but the bill will require that identifying information about individuals is not published. In short, the private sessions are designed to ensure the commission can use material from a wide range of sources to deepen their understanding of the failures that have taken place and how these might be prevented in the future.

The measures in this bill will assist the commission by giving it more flexibility, with options to receive information and evidence for the inquiry. The work ahead of the royal commission is significant, and it will be a matter for the commission to determine how best to proceed to gather information across Australia. As the member for Moreton noted in his speech, this royal commission has a very large task ahead of it. Thousands of Australians have a direct interest in this inquiry and they are spread right across our country. It is important that the commission have flexibility and make the best use of the resources provided to it. The bill will also permit the chair of the current royal commission and chairs of future royal commissions to authorise one or more members to hold a hearing and take evidence on oath or affirmation. Under the current act, the hearing must be conducted by at least a quorum of commissioners.

I would like to take this opportunity to alert the House to the fact that there are some technical amendments to this bill which are currently underdeveloped. They will be provided to the opposition in advance of their introduction in the Senate.

The government acknowledges the support of state and territory governments for the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. All states have now issued letters patent or commissions in terms complementary with the letters patent establishing the Commonwealth royal commission. This makes a joint royal commission with those jurisdictions, which gives the royal commission broad powers under laws governing both the state and Commonwealth inquiries.

When the royal commission delivers its recommendations, all Australian governments will need to work together to make sure that all that can be done by governments is done to prevent the crime of child sexual abuse in institutional contexts and to improve institutional responses. I commend the bill to the House.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.

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