Australian Capital Territory Consolidated Acts

AUDITOR-GENERAL ACT 1996 - SECT 19

    (1)     The auditor-general must not include information in a report for the Legislative Assembly if the auditor-general is of the opinion that the disclosure of the information would be contrary to the public interest because the disclosure could—

        (a)     be an unreasonable disclosure of personal information about a person; or

        (b)     disclose a trade secret; or

        (c)     disclose information (other than a trade secret) having a commercial value that would be, or could reasonably be expected to be, destroyed or diminished if the information were disclosed; or

        (d)     be an unreasonable disclosure of information about the business, commercial or financial interests or affairs of an entity; or

Note     Entity includes a person (see Legislation Act, dict, pt 1).

        (e)     prejudice the investigation of a contravention of a law; or

        (f)     prejudice the fair trial of a person; or

        (g)     prejudice relations between the ACT government and another government.

    (2)     However, the auditor-general may include in the report information mentioned in subsection (1) if the auditor-general is satisfied that the substance of the information is public knowledge.

    (3)     If, under subsection (1), the auditor-general omits information from a report for the Legislative Assembly, the auditor-general may prepare a special report for the public accounts committee that includes the information.

    (4)     The auditor-general must give the special report to the presiding member of the committee.

    (5)     The presiding member must present the special report to the committee.

    (6)     A special report presented to the committee is taken for all purposes to have been referred to the committee by the Legislative Assembly for inquiry and any report that the committee considers appropriate.