INDEPENDENT PRICING AND REGULATORY TRIBUNAL ACT 1992 - SECT 24GJ Confidential information

INDEPENDENT PRICING AND REGULATORY TRIBUNAL ACT 1992 - SECT 24GJ

24GJ Confidential information

(1) If a person provides information (
"protected information" ) to the Tribunal for the purposes of an investigation on the understanding that the information is confidential and will not be divulged, the Tribunal is required to ensure that the information is not divulged by it to any person, except--

(a) with the consent of the person who provided the information, or

(b) to the extent that the Tribunal is satisfied that the information is not confidential in nature, or

(c) to a member or officer of the Tribunal.

(2) If--

(a) the Tribunal is satisfied that protected information provided to the Tribunal by a complainant needs to be divulged to a person in order that the complaint can be properly dealt with, and

(b) the exceptions in subsection (1) (a)-(c) are not applicable,

the Tribunal may notify the complainant that the Tribunal proposes to divulge the information to a specified person, or in its report, after a specified period.

(3) After the specified period, and despite subsection (1), the Tribunal may divulge the information to the specified person or in its report, unless the complainant withdraws the complaint.

(4) If the Tribunal is satisfied that it is desirable to do so because of the confidential nature of any information provided to the Tribunal for the purposes of an investigation, it may give directions prohibiting or restricting the divulging of the information.

(5) A person must not contravene a direction given under subsection (4).

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

(6) A reference in this section to information includes information contained in any evidence given at a meeting of or hearing before the Tribunal and information contained in any documents given to the Tribunal.