Frequently Asked Questions

A Royal Commission is a public inquiry. In Australia, Royal Commissions are the highest form of inquiry on matters of public importance.

A Royal Commission has broad powers to gather information to assist with its inquiry. The Royal Commission has the power to summons witnesses to appear before it and the power to request individuals or organisations produce documents as evidence.

The terms of reference set out the key areas of investigation for the Royal Commission.

A submission is a statement to the Royal Commission which assists the Commission in its collection of information that is relevant to the inquiry as set out in the terms of reference.

Published submissions can be read on the published submissions page.

The Commission has published all the public submissions that were both relevant to the Commission’s terms of reference and suitable to be made public. In determining whether to publish a submission, consideration was given to the preferences conveyed when the submissions was made, as well as the appropriate redaction of sensitive information. Some public submissions could not be published for legal or technical reasons.

Videos of each hearing day are uploaded to our YouTube channel. Transcripts of each hearing day are available via the hearings page.

The Royal Commission cannot decide or resolve individual cases or award any form of compensation. If you have a question about a Centrelink debt or repayment; whether you are entitled to a refund of an Income Compliance debt; the process for receiving a refund; or the Income Compliance (‘Robodebt’) class action, you will need to seek information from Services Australia.