Massacre inquiry set-up ‘a mess’, says royal commissions expert Scott Prasser
The Albanese government has been warned the Richardson Bondi inquiry structure could see officials told what evidence they can give, potentially undermining the probe into intelligence failures.
The government last week said it would incorporate Mr Richardson’s already announced review of the actions of intelligence and law enforcement agencies ahead of the December 14 attack into Virginia Bell’s royal commission, but stopped short of appointing him as a royal commissioner.
Scott Prasser, the author of Royal Commissions and Public Inquiries in Australia, said this meant Mr Richardson’s review would be based on “co-operation” rather than the compelling of evidence from witnesses under oath, which could see officials told what evidence they could give.
“If you’re a public servant and you’re in this sort of situation, you’ll be under instructions about what you can and cannot say,” he told The Australian.
“It’s a mess. It’s confusing. And when you have these situations where it’s confusing, that’s when politics steps in a bit and governments get themselves caught out by trying to be smart.”
Dr Prasser said the beauty of royal commissions was that uncooperative witnesses could be required to testify and they were protected by law, encouraging whistleblowers to come forward