The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse will sit for the final time on Thursday to publicly mark the end of a five-year inquiry.
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It comes after 57 public hearings across 444 sitting days, where the commission heard evidence from more than 1300 witnesses.
Commissioners also listened to personal accounts from about 8000 survivors through private sessions.
Royal commission chief executive officer Philip Reed said the commission had no idea how prevalent child sexual abuse was in Australian institutions or how many people would come forward to share their stories when it started its work in 2013.
"Combined with our comprehensive policy and research program, the royal commission has been able to contribute to the community’s understanding and awareness of institutional child sexual abuse,” Mr Reed said.
"We couldn’t have achieved what we have so far without the input and support of so many.”
As part of the public hearing, commission chairman Justice Peter McClellan will present the National Library of Australia with a book of one thousand personal messages to the Australian community written by survivors.
The book, which will be accessible to the public, will detail the survivors’ experiences and their hopes for creating a safer environment for children in the future.
The final public sitting will be held in Sydney from 9.30am on Thursday.
It will be streamed live on the commission’s website childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au.
Meanwhile, the royal commission’s final report will be delivered to the Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove on Friday.
The report is believed to be 21 volumes and will provide further recommendations on how abuse can be prevented and addressed.
It is unclear when the report will be made publicly available with arrangements regarding its tabling and release a matter for the government.
But once the report is tabled it will be accessible online at the royal commission’s website.
