Labor promised aged care reform. The clock is ticking for genuine change

‘The Labor government claims it is “reforming the Australian aged care system through several key initiatives”. But these initiatives are all low-hanging fruit.’ Photograph: James Ross/AAP

Royal commissions come and go in Australia. Although they are the highest form of inquiry, with broad powers including the power to summons witnesses to appear before them, there is no obligation for governments to accept a royal commission’s recommendations. After 140 or so royal commissions in Australia, there are countless recommendations sitting in bottom drawers gathering dust.

Take, for example, the royal commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody. More than 500 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have died in custody in the 30 years since the royal commission’s final report. Successive governments have failed to fully implement the 339 recommendations that aimed to prevent Indigenous deaths in the justice system.