On 27 April 1961, G.J. Rodger was appointed as Royal Commissioner to inquire into and report upon the the bush fires of December 1960 and January, February and March 1961 in Western Australia, the measures necessary or desirable to prevent and control such fires and to protect life and property in the future and the basic requirements for an effective State Fire Emergency organisation.

The terms of reference of the Commission were to investigate:

1) the causes, origins and development of the bush fires (of the kind contemplated by the Bush Fires Act 1954-58) which commenced to burn within the said districts at or near (a) Dwellingup, on or about the 19th day of January 1961; (b) Karridale, on or about the 27th day of February 1961; (c) Gidgegannup, on or about the 25th day of February 1961; and (d) Chittering, on or about the 15th day of December 1960 (each of which fires continued to burn for some days) and also of any other bush fire or bush fires (if any) which burned in the said State at any time during the first three months of 1961 and concerning which it is considered desirable to enquire into for the purposes of the Commission;

2) in regard to each bush fire, the measures taken to prevent its outbreak and spread and to protect life and private and public property;

3) the measures which are necessary or desirable to be taken by any and what persons, corporations and bodies (a) to prevent the outbreak of bush fires in the said State or to prevent the spreading of such fires; and (b) to protect life and private and public property in the said State from the consequences of such fires; and

4) the basic requirements for an effective State Fire Emergency organisation to handle major fire emergencies and to coordinate and ensure the taking of measures aforesaid.