Information for media

There will be security screening to get into hearing venues. Please allow extra time before the start of the hearing to clear through security, keeping in mind it can get quite busy with lots of people trying to get into the hearing at once.

Pool cameras will be arranged to film head-ons and cutaways of the opening address on Day 1 of each hearing block. There will also be audio output in the hearing room for pool cameras.

Still photographs of the opening of each hearing will be available on the Royal Commission Facebook page shortly after the opening, or on request. Headshots of Commissioners and Counsel assisting are also available on the Royal Commission Facebook page.

Please do not film or take photographs inside the hearing room. You can photograph evidence or documents as they are streamed inside the media room for note taking purposes only – but please don’t publish them.

Some witness-supplied photographs will be made available upon request to: DVSRC.media@royalcommission.gov.au.

Witnesses should not to be filmed or photographed anywhere within the building, unless they’ve given express permission. We will inform the pool camera crews on the day if there are specific people they should not film while inside the hearing room.

Some people may not wish to be identified in general overlay for privacy reasons. Please be respectful and film where possible in suggested locations.

Desks and seating will be available in the media room, along with an AV feed of proceedings inside the hearing room. A live transcript will also be available in the media room. There will be plenty of power points for charging phones and laptops.

The media is welcome in the hearing room. However, there may be situations in which space is limited and priority must be given to the veteran community. In these cases, we will do our best to get you in, however you will also be able to watch proceedings on the live feed from inside the media room.

Hearings will generally begin between 9:30am and 10:00am and finish at 4:00pm local time. There will be an hour’s break for lunch and a 20-minute recess for morning tea but these times are subject to change.

Royal Commission witnesses will include those with lived experience of suicide who may be vulnerable. Please be conscious that your work may cause additional trauma. We ask that if you wish to interview a witness with lived experience, you ask one of the media team to approach them in the first instance.

Interviews will be conducted in a designated media area after the witness has finished giving their evidence.

When filming witnesses outside the hearing, some may not wish to be identified (we will let you know if that is the case). Others may find it very confronting to be met with multiple cameras so please be mindful of this.

Please note that many members of the public attending hearings also have lived experience. Before approaching anyone at a hearing for interviews, please ask a member of the media team to assist. This is to ensure we are able to use a trauma-informed approach, with counsellors on hand for support, if needed.

Witness lists will be available on the Royal Commission website generally on the evening before each hearing day. Links to witness lists will also be posted to our social media platforms.

Transcripts of each days’ proceedings will usually be available on the Royal Commission website by midday the following day. Evidence tendered during hearings will be made available as soon practicably possible. However, if you are waiting on a particular piece of evidence, email DVSRC.media@royalcommission.gov.au with the evidence name/number reference and we will endeavour to chase it up for you.

We want to support our witnesses during this Royal Commission and to support the media in telling their stories in a safe and responsible way.

We ask that you please familiarise yourself with the Mindframe Guidelines for reporting suicide and mental ill health prior to covering the hearing.

Mindframe guide for media