In states that are Commonwealth Realms a Royal Commission is a major government public inquiry into an issue. They have been held in states such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. A state is a set of institutions that possess the authority to make the rules that govern the people in one or more societies, having internal and external sovereignty over a definite territory. ... The Commonwealth Realms, shown in pink A Commonwealth Realm is any one of the 16 sovereign states of the Commonwealth of Nations that separately recognise Queen Elizabeth II as their monarch. ... In the politics and government of Commonwealth countries such as Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom, a public inquiry is an official review of events or actions ordered by the government. ...

A Royal Commissioner has considerable powers, generally greater even than those of a judge but restricted to the "Terms of Reference" of the Commission. The Commission is created by Cabinet and formally appointed by Letters Patent. In practice—unlike lesser forms of inquiry—once a Commission has started the government cannot stop it. Consequently governments are usually very careful about framing the Terms of Reference and generally include in them a date by which the COmmission must finish. A judge or justice is an official who presides over a court. ... A cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of government, typically representing the executive branch. ... Letters Patent by Queen Victoria creating the office of Governor-General of Australia Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of an open letter issued by a monarch or government granting an office, a right, monopoly, title, or status to someone or some entity such as...

Royal Commissions are called to look into matters of great importance and usually controversy. These can be matters such as government structure, the treatment of minorities, events of considerable public concern or economic questions. Some critics accuse Royal Commissions of being little more than a way to end public criticism of government inaction without actually doing anything.

Many Royal Commissions last many years and, often, a different government is left to respond to the findings. In Australia—and particularly New South Wales—Royal Commissions have been investigations into police and government corruption and organised crime using the very broad coercive powers of the Royal Commissioner to defeat the protective systems that powerful, but corrupt, public officials had used to shield themselves from conventional investigation. Emblems: Floral - Waratah (Telopea speciosissima); Bird - Kookaburra (Dacelo gigas); Animal - Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus); Fish - Blue Groper (Achoerodus viridis) Motto: Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites (Newly Risen, How Brightly You Shine) Slogan or Nickname: First State, Premier State Other Australian states and territories Capital Sydney Government Const. ... Organized crime is crime carried out systematically by formal criminal organizations. ...

Royal Commissions are usually chaired by one or more notable figures. Because of their quasi-judicial powers the Commissioners are often retired senior judges. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Retirement is the status of a worker who has stopped working. ...

Royal Commissions usually involve research into an issue, consultations with experts both within and outside of government and public consultations as well. The Warrant may grant immense investigatory powers, including summoning witnesses under oath, offering of indemnities, seizing of documents and other evidence (sometimes including those normally protected, such as classified information), holding hearings in camera if necessary and—in a few cases—compelling all government officials to aid in the execution of the Commission. An oath (from Old Saxon eoth) is either a promise or a statement of fact calling upon something or someone that the oath maker considers sacred, usually a god, as a witness to the binding nature of the promise or the truth of the statement of fact. ... A typical classified document. ... In camera (Latin: in chamber) is a legal term meaning in secret. It applies to court cases (or portions thereof) to which the public are not admitted. ...

The results of Royal Commissions are published in, often, massive reports of findings containing policy recommendations. (Due to the verbose nature of the titles of these formal documents, they are commonly known by the name of the principal Commissioner.) While these reports are often quite influential, with the government enacting some or all recommendations into law, the work of some Commissions have been almost completely ignored by the government. In other cases, where the Commissioner has departed from the Warranted terms, the commission has been dissolved by a superior court. The Royal commission into whether there has been corrupt or criminal conduct by any Western Australian Police Officer was a Royal Commission which took place between 2002--2004. ... Look up Synecdoche in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Synecdoche is a figure of speech that presents a kind of metaphor in which: A part of something is used for the whole, The whole is used for a part, The species is used for the genus, The genus is used for...

Famous Royal Commissions

Australia

Main article: List of Australian Royal Commissions

• WA Inc Investigated the collapse of Bond Corporation and other large businesses in Western Australia.
• WA Police Royal Commission (2002–2004) investigated high level corruption in the West Australian police force.
• Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (1987–1991) investigated allegations of murder of Australian Aboriginals in prison.
• Royal Commission into the New South Wales Police Service ("Wood Royal Commission") (1994–1997) investigated Police corruption in New South Wales.
• Royal Commission into the Building and Construction Industry ("Cole Royal Commission") (2001–2003) investigated the conduct of industrial relations within the building industry.
• Royal Commission of Inquiry into Drug Trafficking, ("Stewart Royal Commission"), (1980–1983)
• Royal Commission on the activities of the Federated Ship Painters and Dockers Union, ("Costigan Royal Commission"), investigated organised crime influences and drug trafficking in a large trade union.
• Royal Commission into Drug Trafficking ("Woodward Royal Commission"), (1977–1980) investigated drug trafficking in New South Wales, especially links between the Mafia and New South Wales Police and the disappearance of investigative journalist Donald Mackay
• Royal Commission into NSW Prisons (1976–1978)
• Royal Commission of Inquiry in respect of certain matters relating to allegations of organised crime in clubs ("Moffitt Royal Commission") (1973–74) investigated organised crime in New South Wales.
• Royal Commission into the King Street Bridge failure, 196?–(196?)
• Royal Commission into the West Gate Bridge collapse, 1970–(1971)
• Royal Commission into the Longford Gas Plant Accident, 1998 (1998–1999) Wikipedia article: 1998 Esso Longford gas explosion
• Royal Commission into HIH Insurance (2001–2003) investigated the collapse of HIH Insurance, then Australia's second largest insurance company.
• Inquiry into certain Australian companies in relation to the UN Oil-For-Food Programme] (Cole Inquiry) (2005) investigation into the alleged participation of the AWB into the Oil for Food program.
• Chelmsford royal commission (1989-1990) investigated patient deaths due to induced comas at the Chelmsford psychiatric hospital in Sydney during the 1960s and 1970s

This is a list of Royal Commissions appointed by the Government of Australia. ... WA Inc and the ensuing WA Inc royal commission relate to a period in the mid to late 1980s in Western Australia when the incumbent State Government became involved in major business dealings with private businessmen including particularly Alan Bond and Laurie Connell. ... Alan Bond (born 22 April 1938) is an Australian business man. ... The Royal commission into whether there has been corrupt or criminal conduct by any Western Australian Police Officer was a Royal Commission which took place between 2002--2004. ... The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (1987-1991) investigated allegations of murder of Australian Aboriginals in prison. ... The Royal Commission into the New South Wales Police Service (Wood Royal Commission) was held in the State of New South Wales, Australia between 1994 and 1997. ... The Royal Commission into the Building and Construction Industry (2001 - 2003) investigated the conduct of industrial relations within the building industry. ... The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Drug Trafficking (1980-1983) was also known as the Stewart Royal Commission. See also Royal Commission into Drug Trafficking, (Woodward Royal Commission), (1977-1980) Categories: Australian law stubs | Australian royal commissions | Drugs ... The Royal Commission on the Federated Ship Painters and Dockers Union (The Costigan Commission) was established by the Australian government in 1980 to investigate criminal activities associated with the union. ... The Royal Commission into Drug Trafficking (2001 - 2003) (1977-1980) investigated drug trafficking in New South Wales, especially links between the Mafia and New South Wales Police and the disappearance of investigative journalist Donald Mackay. ... Investigative journalism is a branch of journalism that usually concentrates on a very specific topic, and typically requires a lot of work to yield results. ... Donald MacKay Donald Mackay Donald Mackay, born and raised in Griffith, New South Wales, was an Australian politician from 1973 to 1976, and an anti-drugs campaigner. ... The Royal Commission of Inquiry in respect of certain matters relating to allegations of organised crime in clubs (1973-74) investigated organised crime in New South Wales. ... The 1998 Esso Longford gas explosion was a catastrophic industrial accident which occurred at the Esso natural gas plant at Longford in the Australian state of Victorias Gippsland region. ... HIH Insurance was Australias second largest insurance company, which was placed into provisional liquidation on 15 March 2001. ... HIH Insurance was Australias second largest insurance company, which was placed into provisional liquidation on 15 March 2001. ... Insurance is a system to alleviate financial losses by transferring risk of loss from one entity to another. ... The Cole Inquiry or more properly the Inquiry into certain Australian companies in relation to the UN Oil-For-Food Programme is an inquiry set up by the Government of Australia under the Royal Commissions Act 1902 in November 2005 to inquire whether decisions, actions, conduct or payments by Australian... AWB Limited (ASX: AWB) is the Australian company that oversees the exports of grain, particularly wheat. ... The Oil-for-Food Programme was established by the United Nations in 1996 to allow Iraq to sell oil on the world market in exchange for food, medicine and the like. ... The Chelmsford royal commission (1988-1990; formally, the New South Wales Royal Commission into Deep Sleep Therapy. ...

Canada

• Royal Commission Relating to Canadian Pacific Railway (1873)
• Royal Commission on Railways (1887)
• Royal Commission on the Relations of Labour and Capital (1887)
• Royal Commission on Transportation of Canadian Goods through Canadian Ports (1903–1905)
• Royal Commission on Radio Broadcasting ("The Aird Commission") (1929)—led to the creation of the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission, the forerunner of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
• Royal Commission to Investigate the Penal System of Canada ("The Archambault Report") (1938)
• Royal Commission on Dominion-Provincial Relations ("The Rowell-Sirois Commission") (1937–1940)
• The Royal Commission on National Development in the Arts, Letters and Sciences ("The Massey-Lévesque Commission") (1949–1951)—looked into Canada's cultural identity and its cultural sovereignty from the United States.
• Royal Commission on Canada's Economic Prospects ("The Gordon Commission") (1955–1958)
• Royal Commission on Energy ("The Borden Commission") (1957-1959)
• Royal Commission on Health Services ("The Hall Report") (1961–1964)—recommended universal health care for all Canadians.
• Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism ("The Laurendeau-Dunton Commission") (1963–1967)—looked into the status of Canada's francophone minority.
• Royal Commission on the Status of Women (1967–1970)
• Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Non-Medical Use of Drugs ("The Le Dain Commission") (1969–1973)—recommended the deciminalization of cannabis.
• Royal Commission on Corporate Concentration (1975-1978)
• Royal Commission of Inquiry into Certain Activities of the RCMP ("The McDonald Commission") (1977–1981)—recommended the disbanding of the RCMP Security Service and the establishment of a civilian security service—the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.
• Royal Commission on the Economic Union and Development Prospects for Canada ("MacDonald Commission") (1982–1985)—looked into Canada's economy and recommended free trade with the United States.
• Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (1991–1996)
• Royal Commission of Inquiry on the Blood System in Canada ("The Krever Commission") (1995–1997)—investigated blood bank and screening protocol after citizens contracted HIV and Hepatitis C from blood transfusions. Recommended the creation of Canadian Blood Services.
• Royal Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada ("The Romanow Report") (2000–2002)—investigated the sustainability of universal health care in Canada.

Since 1867, Canada has had over 200 Royal Commissions. These commissions are searchable in the index to Federal Royal Commissions. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/indexcommissions/index-e.html The Royal Commission on Radio Broadcasting, otherwise known as the Aird Commission, was chaired by John Aird and examined Canadas broadcasting industry. ... CBC redirects here, as this is the most common use of the abbreviation. ... The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), a Canadian crown corporation, is the country’s national public radio and television broadcaster. ... The Rowell-Sirois Commission officially known as the Royal Commission on Dominion-Provincial Relations was a Canadian Royal Commission looking into the Canadian economy and federal-provincial relations. ... The Royal Commission on National Development in the Arts, Letters and Sciences, otherwise known as the Massey-Lévesque Commission, examined Canadas cultural sovereignty from the United States and various other nations. ... Universal health care is a health care system in which all residents of a geographic or political entity have their health care paid for, regardless of medical condition or financial status. ... The Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism was a Canadian royal commission established on July 19, 1963, by the government of Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson to inquire into and report upon the existing state of bilingualism and biculturalism in Canada and to recommend what steps should be taken to... Look up Francophone in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Le Dain Commission of Inquiry into the Non-Medical Use of Drugs was a Canadian commission that called for an end to charges for marijuana possession and cultivation in 1973. ... Look up Cannabis in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Certain Activities of the RCMP, better known as the McDonald Commission, was a royal commission called by the government of Pierre Trudeau to investigate the Royal Canadian Mounted Police after a number of illegal activities by the RCMP Security Service came to light in... RCMP Security Service was once responsible for intelligence and counter-intelligence activities for Canada. ... The CSIS crest The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) is a civilian intelligence agency of Canadas federal government that collects, monitors and analyzes information that may affect national security. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Free trade is an economic concept referring to the selling of products between countries without tariffs or other trade barriers. ... The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples was a royal commission established in 1991 to address many issues of Aboriginal status that had come to light with recent events such as the Oka Crisis and the Meech Lake Accord. ... The Royal Commission of Inquiry on the Blood System in Canada more commonly referred to as the Krever Commission or Krever Inquiry was a Royal commission headed by Mr Justice Horace Krever established by the Canadian Government in October 1993. ... A blood bank is a cache or bank of blood or blood components, gathered as a result of blood donation, stored and preserved for later use in blood transfusions. ... Human immunodeficiency virus or HIV is a retrovirus that causes Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which the immune system begins to fail, leading to life-threatening opportunistic infections. ... Hepatitis C is a blood-borne, infectious, viral disease that is caused by a hepatotropic virus called Hepatitis C virus (HCV). ... Donating blood Blood transfusion is the process of transferring blood or blood-based products from one person into the circulatory system of another. ... Canadian Blood Services is a national, not-for-profit charitable organization that manages the blood supply in all provinces and territories outside of Quebec and oversees the countrys Unrelated Bone Marrow Donor Registry. ... The Royal Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada , also known as the Romanow Report, is a committee study led by Roy Romanow on the future of health care in Canada. ... The Royal Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada , also known as the Romanow Report, is a committee study led by Roy Romanow on the future of health care in Canada. ...

United Kingdom

• Royal Commission on the Health of the Army (1856–1857) based on Florence Nightingale's reports on medical care during the Crimean War
• Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom (1859)
• Clarendon Commission (1861–1864) looked into public education
• Napier Commission (1883–1884), officially the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Condition of Crofters and Cottars in the Highlands and Islands
• Redcliffe-Maud Commission (1966–1969) on local government
• Kilbrandon Commission on the Constitution (1969–73)
• Royal Commission on the Press, United Kingdom (1974–1977)

Florence Nightingale, OM (12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910), who came to be known as The Lady with the Lamp, was a pioneer of modern nursing, and a noted statistician. ... Combatants United Kingdom France Ottoman Empire Kingdom of Sardinia Russian Empire Casualties 17,500 British 90,000 French 35,000 Turkish 2,050 Sardinian killed, wounded and died of disease 256,000 killed, wounded and died of disease The Crimean War lasted from 1854 until 1 April 1856 and was... In 1859 Lord Palmerston instigated the Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom because of serious concerns that France might want to invade the UK again. ... The Napier Commission, offically the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Condition of Crofters and Cottars in the Highlands and Islands, was appointed in 1883, with Francis Napier, 10th Lord Napier, as its chairman, under William Gladstones Liberal government of the United Kingdom. ... Local government in England as proposed by the report. ... Local governments are administrative offices of an area smaller than a state or province. ... The Royal Commission on the Constitution, also referred to as the Kilbrandon Commission (initially the Crowther Commission) or Kilbrandon Report, was a long-running royal commission set up by Harold Wilsons Labour government to examine the structures of the constitution of the United Kingdom and the government of its...

New Zealand

• Royal Commission on Genetic Modification (2000–2001) to look into and report on the issues surrounding genetic modification in New Zealand
• Royal Commission on the Electoral System (1984–1986) investigated the electoral system
• The Mahon Inquiry (1980–1981) looked at the causes of the Mount Erebus disaster—this commission was appealed to the House of Lords and set new legal standards for the conduct of commissions

The Royal Commission on the Electoral System was formed in New Zealand in 1985, and reported in 1986. ... The Mount Erebus disaster was a major aircraft accident involving Air New Zealand Flight 901 in 1979. ... This article is about the British House of Lords. ...

See also

• List of Australian Royal Commissions