What does “royal commission” mean in Australian news?

A royal commission has nothing to do with the royal family. It is the strongest kind of official inquiry a Commonwealth government can set up. It has real legal powers: it can make people come and answer questions under oath, ask for documents, and hold open hearings. Governments reach for one when something goes very wrong — a disaster, a scandal, or a failure too big for a normal committee to look into properly.

In this clip, a reporter covering the Bondi attack investigation says the commission “heard some more explosive evidence from a local commander at the Eastern Suburbs police area.” The commission is looking into what the government knew before the attack and whether counterterrorism funding was cut. A royal commission works independently of the government that set it up. Witnesses must appear and answer questions under oath. This is why governments sometimes try to limit what it can see — in this clip, the federal government is seeking “public interest immunity,” a legal claim that lets them keep certain documents secret on the grounds that releasing them could harm the country. You will hear “royal commission” in Australian, British, New Zealand, and Canadian news whenever a major scandal needs a deep, independent investigation. Recent examples include inquiries into aged-care failures, banking misconduct, and child abuse. The phrase signals that the matter is serious enough that ordinary oversight won’t do.