Protecting Victims and Vulnerable Witnesses Participating in Royal Commissions: Lessons from the 2016-2017 Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory

The truth-finding function of Royal Commissions often leads them to seek the participation of victims and vulnerable witnesses (V&VWs) to learn about their experiences of the wrongdoing being investigated. There are numerous recent examples of Royal Commissions that have done this, including the 2017 federal Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse and the 2016 Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence. This article examines the processes employed by the joint federal and Northern Territory Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory. It seeks to draw out the lessons that may be learnt for future Royal Commissions involving V&VWs. The Northern Territory Royal Commission is informative because the Commissioners prioritised the needs of V&VWs in some unique ways, arguably achieving restorative justice for the V&VWs who participated.