A public inquiry will be held to look into the disappearance of Marokopa’s Phillips children, Attorney-General Judith Collins announced.
“The inquiry will look into whether government agencies took all practicable steps to protect the safety and welfare of the Phillips children,” Collins said.
“The decision to establish a Public Inquiry reflects the significant public interest and concern for the children’s welfare over the almost four years they were missing.
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Terms of reference developed with the privacy and welfare of the three “vulnerable” children in mind. (Source: 1News)
“It is important that we establish the facts and determine whether agencies could take steps to prevent or resolve similar situations more quickly and effectively in the future.”
Phillips was killed in a shootout with police in September after a nearly four-year-long manhunt. A police officer was badly injured in the incident.
Collins said terms of reference had been developed with the privacy and welfare of the three “vulnerable” children in mind.
She said the inquiry would be held in private without public hearings.
“It must also respect the independence of the courts and will not include findings on judicial decisions,” Collins said.
An injunction, preventing the media from publishing certain details related to the investigation into Phillips and his family, remains in place.
Justice Simon Moore KC, who served as a judge of the High Court for 11 years, was appointed as the sole member of the inquiry.
A final report with the inquiry’s recommendations will be released by July 21, 2026.
The police investigation into the Phillips disappearance remains ongoing. Police have repeatedly said Phillips was believed to have been helped by a small number of people during his years on the run.
Phillips first went missing in December 2021, after a previous disappearance in September that year.
He and the children were on the run for nearly four years, and Phillips was linked to a string of burglaries and other crimes over that time. There were multiple sightings of Phillips and the children during that time.
On September 8, Phillips was killed by police after he shot and critically injured an officer responding to a burglary in the early hours of the morning. One of the children was with him at the time. The other two were located at a bush campsite later that day.
The officer injured in the shooting has since been released from hospital and was “doing well” in his recovery, police said earlier this month.
Police are carrying out a critical incident investigation into the fatal shoot-out, while the IPCA is also investigating.
The matter has also been referred to the coroner.
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