A royal commission is empowered to gather evidence and exhaustively investigate matters relating to its terms of reference. It can compel individuals to appear before it and answer questions and can require the production of documents or other evidence of relevance.

When a royal commission has concluded its investigation, it can present a report with formal findings and recommendations for change. If appropriate, it can also refer matters to relevant authorities for further investigation and action. This could include, for example, the referral of evidence of criminal offending to the police.