New South Wales Consolidated Acts

PLANT DISEASES ACT 1924 - SECT 18

18 Power to require information and documents

(1) An inspector may do any of the following for the purposes of controlling, eradicating or preventing the spread of a disease or pest:

(a) require a person to answer any question that the inspector reasonably believes may provide information relevant to the control or eradication of the disease or pest or prevention of the spread of the disease or pest,

(b) require a person to produce any record or document,

(c) inspect and take extracts from or copies of any record or other document.

(2) A person who:

(a) refuses to answer, to the best of the person’s knowledge, a question put in accordance with a requirement made under subsection (1), or

(b) gives, to such a question, an answer which to the person’s knowledge is false or misleading, or

(c) without reasonable excuse, fails to produce any record or document,

is guilty of an offence and liable to a penalty not exceeding 100 penalty units.

(3) A person is not guilty of an offence under this section unless it is established that the inspector:

(a) warned the person that a failure or refusal to comply with the requirement is an offence, and

(b) identified himself or herself as an inspector to the person.