Commonwealth Consolidated Acts

ROYAL COMMISSIONS ACT 1902 - SECT 1B

             (1)  In this Act, unless the contrary intention appears:

"Commission and Royal Commission" means any Commission of inquiry issued by the Governor-General by Letters Patent in pursuance of this Act or of any other power, and includes the members of the Commission, or a quorum thereof, or the sole Commissioner, sitting for the purposes of the inquiry.

"document" includes any book, register or other record of information, however compiled, recorded or stored.

"legal practitioner" means a barrister, a solicitor, a barrister and solicitor, or a legal practitioner, of the High Court or of the Supreme Court of a State or Territory.

"member" , in relation to a Commission, means:

                     (a)  in the case of a Commission constituted by one person--that person; or

                     (b)  in the case of a Commission constituted by 2 or more persons--each of those persons.

"reasonable excuse" means:

                     (a)  in relation to any act or omission by a witness before a Commission--an excuse which would excuse an act or omission of a similar nature by a witness before a court of law; or

                     (b)  in relation to any act or omission by a person summoned as a witness before a Commission--an excuse which would excuse an act or omission of a similar nature by a person summoned as a witness before a court of law; or

                     (c)  in relation to any act or omission by a person served with a notice under subsection 2(3A) or 6AA(3)--an excuse which would excuse an act or omission of a similar nature by a person served with a subpoena in connection with a proceeding before a court of law.

"relevant Commission" means a Commission established by Letters Patent that declare that the Commission is a relevant Commission for the purposes of the provision in which the expression appears.

             (2)  In this Act, unless the contrary intention appears:

                     (a)  a reference to a requirement to produce a document includes a reference to a requirement to produce a part of the document; and

                     (b)  a reference to refusal or failure to produce a document includes:

                              (i)  if production of the whole of the document is required--a reference to refusal or failure to produce a part of the document; and

                             (ii)  if production of a part of the document is required--a reference to refusal or failure to produce a part of that part of the document.