New South Wales Consolidated Acts

INDEPENDENT PRICING AND REGULATORY TRIBUNAL ACT 1992 - SECT 21

21 Hearings in investigations

(1) The Tribunal is required to hold at least one hearing for the purposes of each investigation and may hold further hearings if it considers that it is necessary to do so.

(2) The Tribunal may also hold public seminars, conduct workshops and establish working groups and task forces for the purposes of an investigation.

(3) Before the Tribunal begins to hold hearings for the purposes of an investigation, it must give reasonable notice, by advertisement published in a newspaper circulating in the State, of its intention to hold the hearings, the subject of the hearings and the time and place at which the first of the hearings is to begin.

(3A) The Tribunal may call for written submissions to be made before the hearings commence, and may specify a time and date by which those submissions must be made. The Tribunal may extend the time for the making of submissions.

(4) A hearing is to be held in public.

(5) However, if the Tribunal is satisfied that it is desirable to do so because of the confidential nature of any evidence or matter or for any other reason, it may:

(a) direct that a hearing or a part of a hearing is to take place in private and give directions as to the persons who may be present, or

(b) give directions prohibiting or restricting the publication of evidence given before the hearing or of matters contained in documents given to the Tribunal.

(6) A person must not contravene a direction given under subsection (5) (b).

Maximum penalty: 100 penalty units or imprisonment for 6 months, or both.

(7) Schedule 3 applies to a hearing, so far as that Schedule is capable of so applying, as if the hearing were a meeting of the Tribunal.