Sex abuse inquiry to cost $100m

THE royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse will be "the most expensive in the history of royal commissions".

THE royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse will be "the most expensive in the history of royal commissions", according to a key member of the Australian Law Reform Commission's review into minimising costs of public inquiries in Australia.

Scott Prasser, the executive director of the Australian Catholic University's Public Policy Institute and member of the ALRC reference committee during its 2009 review of inquiry expenses, said the abuse commission would cost "at least $100 million".

"The most expensive royal commission to date was the Howard government inquiry into the building and construction industry, which ran for 18 months from 2001 and cost $60 million then," he told The Australian.

"It had a much narrower scope compared to the current commission, which has six commissioners and is scheduled to run for three years. It's going to cost the community a lot of money."

The Australian has confirmed the commissioners will be paid the equivalent of a Federal Court judge, $402,880, and the chief commissioner will be paid the equivalent of a chief justice of the Federal Court at $443,320, a total of $7.3 million over the course of the inquiry.

Mr Prasser said nothing worth doing was easy - or cheap - but noted final costs, as detailed by the Prime Minister on Friday, would depend on how it was structured.

"There will be teams of lawyers and legal types, but their numbers will depend on whether the commission is adversarial in nature or more investigatory," he said. The legal bill for the building and construction industry royal commission was $11 million for 13 counsel assisting in 2003.

Allowances on top of pay for the sole commissioner, Terence Cole, totalled $183,599 for the inquiry.

As abuse survivors go through the process of revisiting traumatic pasts, the Gillard government maintained it would provide support for those who need it but declined to say what it would cost.

A spokesman for Attorney-General Nicola Roxon told The Australian the cost was worth it: "The royal commission will cost money, but it is worth doing and it is the right thing to do," he said.

Professor Prasser said the states, while supportive of the royal commission, would be in line for costs where state-run institutions are asked to give evidence.

The commissioners will meet in person this Wednesday and iron out further details such as whether evidence can be taken remotely for those in regional or overseas locations and the types of support - such as interpreters and assistants - needed for those with disabilities and other languages who may wish to become witnesses. Commissioners also have the power to grant allowances to all or some witnesses if they incur costs in giving evidence, and the commission will make a decision on how this will work.

While Ms Roxon is leaving key decisions to the commissioners, she moved to counter fears that victims will be blocked from speaking at the royal commission. She said old legal settlements should not prevent victims being heard because the commissioners had the authority to compel witnesses to give evidence "regardless" of private agreements.