This article first examines the historical conditions surrounding the evolution of royal commissions of inquiry, and the political and ideological functions that they may serve. The royal commissions of inquiry established in Australia during the 1970s and 1980s to inquire into organised crime are discussed in order to explore possibilities for a general explanation of royal commissions.The conclusion reached is that royal commissions of inquiry are an important component of official discourse and may perform a legitimation function for apparatuses of the state. However, royal commissions of inquiry are too diverse in their effects to be tied down to a uniform explanatory model, whether based upon notions of crisis motivation or legitimation deficit.
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