More details of the upcoming royal commission into the abuse of juvenile detainees in the Northern Territory have been released.
Speaking to the media, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and former NT chief justice Brian Ross Martin – who will act as Chief Commissioner – outlined the scope of the inquiry.
Despite some calls for the royal commission to extend its purview into other jurisdictions, Turnbull confirmed it “will identify the causes and the failures in the Northern Territory, and provide lessons from which other correctional institutions and child-protection institutions in Australia can learn from to ensure that they’re not repeated elsewhere.”
And that’s on top of whether guards at facilities like Don Dale Detention Centre broke any specific rules or regulations given to the Territory’s detention system, and why two previous independent reports on juvenile detention didn’t result in massive changes to the sector.
The PM also said Attorney General George Brandis “has found a good medium between terms of reference that are highly focused and limited, but have enough breadth to enable the royal commissioner to look into associated areas without being so amorphous that the enquiry will be endless.”
.@TurnbullMalcolm says the Royal Commission is most effective when it has clear terms of reference. #DonDaleRC https://t.co/oT5vQ0xGeW
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) July 28, 2016
Martin said it was his intention to have a preliminary hearing in early September with full hearings from October. He also called out to the public for any information that may relate to the abuses seen in the horrific Four Corners report.
NT Royal Comnissioner Brian Ross Martin wants to hear from anyone who has information. #DonDaleRC https://t.co/lJ8EMNN4lL
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) July 28, 2016
Hopefully, with a new splash of royal commission paint, this inquest will actually turf out the all-too-apparent wrongdoings and wrongdoers from the Territory.
Source: ABC / Sky News / The Australian.
Photo: Four Corners / ABC.
