{"id":"C1954A00002","name":"Royal Commission Act 1954","slug":"royal-commission-act-1954","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"repealed","isInForce":false,"actNumber":"2 of 1954","makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":24732,"registerId":"commonwealth-C1954A00002-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-01","status":"Repealed","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Royal Commission Act 1954","content":"ROYAL COMMISSION.\n\nNo. 2 of 1954.\n\nAn Act to provide for the appointment of a certain Royal Commission, and for purposes connected therewith.\n\n\\[Assented to 15th April, 1954.\\]\n\nBE it enacted by the Queen’s Most Excellent Majesty, the Senate, and the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Australia, as follows:—\n\nShort title.\n\n1. This Act may be cited as the Royal Commission Act 1954.\n\nCommencement.\n\n2. This Act shall come into operation on the day on which it receives the Royal Assent.\n\nAppointment and powers of a certain Royal Commission.\n\n3.—(1.) The Governor-General is, by force of this section, empowered to issue, by Letters Patent in the name of the Queen, a Commission, directed to such person as he thinks fit, requiring or authorizing that person to make inquiry into and report upon subjects specified in the Letters Patent, being—\n\n(a) the commission of acts of espionage in Australia;\n\n(b) the commission in Australia of other acts prejudicial to the security or defence of Australia; or\n\n(c) subjects related to any matter referred to in either of the last two preceding paragraphs.\n\n(2.) The Commissioner so appointed has all the powers, rights and privileges which are specified in the Royal Commissions Act 1902-1933 as appertaining to a Royal Commission and the provisions of that Act have effect as if they were enacted in this Act and in terms made applicable to the Commissioner.","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The Act creates a specific Royal Commission and grants it the powers set out in an earlier Royal Commissions statute. The text does not indicate that it narrows or expands a previously stated legislative purpose; it simply enables appointment and applies existing Royal Commission powers to the Commissioner (s3(1)–(2)). There is no textual basis here to say the statutory scope was changed from an earlier intent."},"complexity_factors":["Short, focused statute with limited provisions — low intrinsic text complexity (overall brevity).","High dependence on another statute (Royal Commissions Act 1902–1933) for substantive powers and procedures, creating cross‑statute interpretation needs (s3(2)).","Broad, open‑ended subject descriptions (espionage; acts prejudicial to security or defence; related subjects) that require executive specification to have concrete scope (s3(1)(a)–(c)).","Significant executive discretion in appointment and subject specification via Letters Patent, concentrating decision‑making (s3(1)).","Absence of financial, administrative or procedural detail (funding and implementation obligations are not stated), requiring reliance on external arrangements.","Potential for legal questions about how the powers in the earlier Act apply to this specific commission (interpretive and litigation risk)."],"plain_english_summary":"This short Act authorises the Governor‑General, by Letters Patent in the Queen’s name, to appoint a Royal Commissioner to inquire into acts of espionage, other acts prejudicial to Australia’s security or defence, and related matters. The Commissioner is given the powers, rights and privileges of the Royal Commissions Act 1902–1933, but the Act itself says nothing about funding or administrative arrangements."},"kimi_summary":{"_metrics":{"model":"kimi-k2.5","source":"moonshot-batch","completionTokens":2260},"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The Act remains tightly focused on its original purpose: establishing a specific Royal Commission to investigate espionage and security threats. It has not expanded beyond this narrow mandate."},"complexity_factors":["Only 3 operative sections with minimal text","Single cross-reference to the Royal Commissions Act 1902-1933 (incorporation by reference)","No defined terms or interpretation section","Limited subject matter scope restricted to espionage and security matters"],"plain_english_summary":"This Act creates a **specific Royal Commission** (a high-level public inquiry) to investigate spying and threats to Australia's national security.\n\n**What it does:**\n- Allows the Governor-General to appoint a Commissioner to investigate:\n  - Acts of espionage (spying) in Australia\n  - Other acts harmful to Australia's security or defence\n  - Related matters connected to these issues\n- Gives the appointed Commissioner the full legal powers set out in the *Royal Commissions Act 1902-1933*, including the power to summon witnesses, demand documents, and examine people under oath.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- The appointed Commissioner and inquiry staff\n- Anyone required to give evidence or produce documents to the investigation\n- Individuals or organisations under investigation for security breaches\n\n**Why it matters:**\nThis law provides the legal foundation for a major investigation into breaches of national security. It ensures the inquiry has enforceable powers—witnesses can be compelled to attend, and refusing to provide evidence can result in legal penalties."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/royal-commission-act-1954","history":"/api/acts/royal-commission-act-1954/history","analysis":"/api/acts/royal-commission-act-1954/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/royal-commission-act-1954/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/royal-commission-act-1954/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/royal-commission-act-1954/documents"}}