ROYAL COMMISSIONS

By Mickey Skidmore, AMHSW, ACSW, FAASW

There’s a hole in the world tonight.

There’s a cloud of pain and sorrow.

There’s a hole in the world tonight.

Don’t let there be a hole in the world tomorrow …

-Eagles

While I am typically drawn to the hope that the New Year brings, I also find the juxtaposition of the nostalgic sentiment of good will to be confronted by recent global events reminding us that there is no place on earth spared from hatred. 

Even for those who do not align with any particular religious traditions or practices, many of us (perhaps naively so) welcome the proclaimed time of year (even if it may be socially constructed) for “peace on earth” and “good will toward men.” So, that yet another tragedy could be inflicted on the Jewish community in Sydney during the “season” was nothing short of jolting. 

Weeks on from the Bondi Beach terrorist attack, the vibe remains mostly unsettled, with many pressing for a Royal Commission to be established, which Albanese, the Prime Minister had been rather non-committal about. Ultimately, he yielded to mounting social pressure for such an action. While I am not making excuses for the Prime Minister, there is a part of me that questions whether this is a worthwhile endeavour.

There have been numerous Royal Commissions in Australia over the years (hundreds even); however, today I will briefly touch on two. The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody was established to review the alarming number of Indigenous deaths in custody between 1991 – 2016 which accounted for 19% of all prison deaths. And the Mental Health Royal Commission (Victoria 2019) was established to review the characterisation that Victoria’s mental health system was “overwhelmed” and “broken”, noting that it had catastrophically failed to keep up with demand.

While I do not know how Royal Commissions are paid for; they typically involve a range or recognised experts that undergo lengthy, diligent review and consideration of the issue(s) in their research efforts that result in findings and recommendations for politicians and policy makers. What I have discovered about these two particular commissions (as well as others) is that often the recommendations are not actualised. In other words, despite the significant time, cost and effort to undergo such efforts, there does not appear to be teeth to ensure that these recommendations are followed up on. Following the Bondi event, social and political pressure seems to have resulted in expedited reactive laws from Parliament — without even allowing the Royal Commission to complete its investigative work or offer any recommendations.

As someone who came to this country fourteen years ago, Royal Commissions strike me as a bit of a paper tiger. A shiny object that looks striking … eye catching … but in actuality lacks any realistic mechanism of real or genuine accountability. By responding in this manner, I am uncertain if anyone in Australia is served well. Like other numerous examples of appearing to go out of their way to acknowledge or seem to address an issue, without resulting in much traction for actual change. There is plenty of talking the talk, but rarely are the efforts backed up with beneficial action — walking the walk. Royal Commissions may be the pinnacle of such an endeavour. An intellectual exercise done mostly for appearances.

Middle Eastern conflicts have been raging for thousands of years. Antisemitism is one of the issues underscored in many of these conflicts. Some have even gone as far as to suggest that Antisemitism is perhaps among the oldest form of racial prejudice and hatred that remains globally prevalent. October 7th 2023 was only the most recent tragedy in this long-running saga. And while it is understandable that Israel has a right to respond, the extent of their response has also at times been horrific. The terror attack at Bondi is yet another front of this ongoing hatred — this time on a completely different continent. 

While I am not making excuses for Anthony Albanese, perhaps there is a logic to question the value of targeting significant time, effort, research and financial resources into this tragedy (via another Royal Commission), when after all is said and done, based on historical precedent, there is a reasonably high probability that no significant change will come from such efforts. After all, this hatred and violence has been going on significantly and profoundly for a very long time …