Commonwealth Consolidated Acts

COMMONWEALTH GRANTS COMMISSION ACT 1973 - SECT 23

             (1)  Where the Commission takes evidence in the course of inquiry into a matter, a person appearing as a witness before the Commission shall not, without lawful excuse, refuse or fail to answer a question, being a question relevant to the inquiry, that is put to him or her by the Commission.

Penalty:  $1,000.

             (2)  For the purposes of subsection (1), a question shall be deemed to have been put to a witness by the Commission:

                     (a)  if it is put by any of the members who are exercising the powers of the Commission in relation to the matter; or

                     (b)  if, with the approval of a majority of the members who are exercising the powers of the Commission in relation to the matter, it is put by a person authorized by a majority of those members to appear in connexion with the taking of the evidence.