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1303 Royal Commission of Inquiry into Chamberlain Convictions

Date Range:1986 - 1987

Description

The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Chamberlain Convictions was established in 1986 to inquire into the doubts or questions as to:
1. The guilt of Alice Lynne Chamberlain who was convicted on a charge of murdering her daughter Azaria on 17 August 1980.
2. The guilt of Michael Leigh Chamberlain who was convicted of being an accessory after the fact to the murder
3. Evidence in the trial leading to those convictions on 29 October 1982, in the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory.
The Commission was constituted by the Honourable Mr Justice Trevor Rees Morling under the Commission of Inquiry (Chamberlains' Convictions) Act 1986. Justice Morling was appointed by the Northern Territory Government under the Chamberlain's Convictions Act on 1 April 1986 and Commonwealth Letters Patent on 2 April 1986.
Most of the non-scientific evidence was taken in Darwin, with scientific evidence taken in Sydney and Melbourne.
The Royal Commission concluded on 2 June 1987 with the tabling of the Morling Report. Justice Morling concluded that there were 'serious doubts and questions as to the Chemberlains' guilt and as to the evidence in the trial leading to their conviction if the evidence before the Commission had been given at the trial, the trial judge would have be obligated to direct the jury that the evidence could not justify their conviction'.

Creation

Commission of Inquiry (Chamberlains' Convictions) Act 1986
Commonwealth Letters Patent on 2 April 1986

Inventory of Series

Series IdSeries TitleSeries Date RangeNumber of UnitsPublic AccessLocation
NTRS 4196Witness statements1971 - 19876OpenDarwin (NTAC)
NTRS 4184Submission binders1974 - 19879Part OpenDarwin (NTAC)
NTRS 4191Submission wallets1974 - 19872OpenDarwin (NTAC)
NTRS 4200Statements1974 - 198719OpenDarwin (NTAC)
NTRS 4352Reports, statements and summaries1980 - 19897OpenDarwin (NTAC)
NTRS 3804Transcripts of proceedings1986 - 19878OpenDarwin (NTAC)
NTRS 4189Index to submission binders1986 - 19871OpenDarwin (NTAC)
NTRS 4351Further submissions1986 - 19872OpenDarwin (NTAC)
NTRS 3803Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Chamberlain Convictions1987 - 19871OpenDarwin (NTAC)