New South Wales Consolidated Acts

CRIMES (FORENSIC PROCEDURES) ACT 2000 - SECT 123

123 Inquiry by Standing Committee on Law and Justice

(1) The Committee of the Legislative Council established under the name of the “Standing Committee on Law and Justice” is to enquire into and report on the operation of this Act and the regulations.

(2) The report is to be tabled in the Legislative Council as soon as possible after the end of the period of 18 months from the date of assent to this Act.

(3) Without limiting the matters that the Committee may take into account for the purposes of its enquiry and report, it may take into account the following:

(a) any relevant provisions of the Model Forensic Procedures Bill 1999 set out in Appendix 3 of the Discussion paper dated May 1999 prepared by the Model Criminal Code Officers Committee or of any State, Commonwealth or other law,

(b) the wider social and legal implications of use of information obtained from matching of DNA profiles derived from forensic material,

(c) the effectiveness of matching of DNA profiles as an investigative tool,

(d) the reliability of the matching of DNA profiles for the purposes of forensic identification.

(4) The Committee may make recommendations in its report about amendments that might appropriately be made to the Act to enhance its operation and provide further safeguards for the privacy and civil liberty of persons on whom forensic procedures are carried out, or proposed to be carried out, under the Act.

(5) The Committee is to furnish a copy of the report to the Ombudsman for consideration.