It seems like a lot of money is spent on a royal commission. A lot of people get employed to work on it and they go on for a long time. I am just wondering what good comes out of it. It seems like a great idea but are there any downsides to having a commission?
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Answer by Kate Dodgson, Brisbane 4000 QLD
- Yes there are some criticisms of commissions or inquiries.
- Commissions are often very expensive.
- For example the current Royal Commission on Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has been allocated a budget of $434.1 million over four years.
- There is no mechanism to review the findings of a commission as they are seen as a process of last resort.
- This means there is no review or appeal process in place. This issue is even more significant when there is only one commissioner.
- Governments are not required to implement the recommendations set out by the commission. This means that there is effectively no follow up after the commission.
- This problem often happens if the government has changed by the time the final report is submitted. A new government may have a different policy agenda.