CANBERRA, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- A "once-in-a-lifetime" inquiry into abuse in Australia's aged care sector has begun.
The Royal Commission into Aged Care and Quality held its first hearing in Adelaide, capital of South Australia (SA) on Friday, with commissioners due to deliver a final report on the industry by April 2020.
The commission was established by Prime Minister Scott Morrison in September 2018 after reports emerged of systematic abuse of the elderly in the nation's nursing homes.
Oakden nursing home in Adelaide's northeast was closed by the state government in 2017 after it was revealed that residents were regularly neglected, over-medicated, abused and restrained by staff at the facility.
Lynda Salterelli, a member of advocacy group Aged Care Crisis, on Friday urged victims and their families to front the royal commission and tell their stories.
"It's important the commission hears from as many family members as possible," she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
"This is pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a contribution.
"Family members and staff are fearful of making a complaint about care.
"Staff are concerned about losing their jobs and have done so, and family members fear for the safety of their loved ones because they are left in aged care."
Clive Spriggs, son of former Oakden resident Bob Spriggs, said that Australia has "the perfect chance now" to expose wrongdoing in the industry.
Australian Minister for Aged Care Ken Wyatt on Thursday night announced that the government would introduce new rules regulating the use of mental and physical restraints in nursing homes.
