Jordon Steele-John (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

The Greens support the main thrust of this legislation, the Royal Commissions Amendment (Private Sessions) Bill 2019, and are happy that this Senate continues to do the work of facilitating the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, and getting it underway. We know, very clearly, that private sessions create a vital opportunity for survivors to tell their stories in appropriate settings. We know from the experience that was undertaken during the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse that the opportunity to give evidence in this setting is vital for royal commissions to be able to hear evidence from folks that have been mistreated and subject to systemic failures in the most horrendous ways. In fact, the opportunity to give their evidence to a royal commissioner, have their story heard, have their experience validated, plays an important secondary role in the healing journey that many survivors are on after years and years of being disregarded, of having their stories shut out of the public view, of being described as liars or fabricators. The opportunity to have their lived experience validated by a royal commissioner is often critical to the healing journeys of survivors.

We do have a number of concerns with the subsequent provisions of this legislation and the effect that they might have on that vital survivor experience. Centrally, the provisions relating to the ability for senior commission staff and so-called assistant commissioners to be appointed to the role of leading those private sessions, we believe, could be highly problematic in the eventual effect of the royal commission. That is why we have been working with disabled people and their organisations for the last couple of weeks to draft amendments that might remove that potential negative effect from the legislation.

I have always said, when it comes to the issue of the royal commission, that if parties are willing to come together and work in a bipartisan way to try to get this process right then that is what we must do. I am heartened by some very positive conversations that I've had with folks in the government and in the opposition. I understand that the government will be moving amendments to address the concerns of disabled people and of the Greens during the further course of debate.

Debate interrupted.