The Royal Commission hits a significant milestone next week when our first Public Hearings begin.

The first two sessions – on Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence and Housing (day 1) and Sexual Violence (day 2) – represent the start of our more in-depth examinations of key areas of interest for the Commission.

More Public Hearings will be held in December and early next year.

If you are interested in watching the proceedings, it is a simple process. To access the live stream, visit our website. You will be able to see the witness lists and daily program below.

While a considerable amount of work has been undertaken to prepare for our Public Hearings, the team is also reviewing submissions and responses to the Share With Us anonymous online survey. If you have not yet had a chance to complete Share With Us, there is still time. The portal will close on December 10. We are receiving valuable information from Share With Us, and I encourage anyone with interaction with the domestic, family and sexual violence sector to take the survey, and share your insights with me.

I am grateful for the amount of information we are receiving, either through the survey, incoming submissions and from our listening phase.

I am particularly proud of our recent Student Summit, which was held in conjunction with the Commissioner for Children and Young People Helen Connolly and with valuable input from victim-survivor advocate Conor Pall. On Friday, November 1, we were able to bring together almost 120 children from 18 schools across the state to discuss what safety looks like for them.

Safety in schools, and the wellbeing of young people, is an absolute priority, which is why the opportunity to hear directly from young people was so important. Listening to the students provided great insights into what we should consider, particularly in the areas of prevention, early intervention and healing. I look forward to receiving their report from the day, which will summarise the key issues and concerns, and provide me with actions to address.

The Commission has also just returned from a visit to Port Lincoln, where we held numerous meetings with sector representatives from services such as Yarredi, the Port Lincoln Aboriginal Community Council, Centacare, West Coast Youth and Community Support as well as with women with lived experience, school principals, and from aged and disability service providers.

Thank you again to everyone I have met – either in meetings, online or in person, and to those people who stop me on the street.

It all reminds me how important this work is, and keeps us focused on delivering tangible and deliverable recommendations next year.

Natasha Stott Despoja AO

Royal Commissioner