Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:C2025C00093:section:18:p1
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:C2025C00093
Segment Type: section
Provision Reference: s 18 (pt 1/3)
Character Range: 52471–55181

18  Power to obtain information and documents

Requiring information or documents
 (1) If the Inspector‑General has reason to believe that a person is capable of giving information or producing documents relevant to a matter that is being inquired into by the Inspector‑General under this Act, the Inspector‑General may, by notice in writing given to the person, require the person, at such reasonable place and within such reasonable period as are specified in the notice:
 (a) to give to the Inspector‑General, by writing signed by that person or, in the case of a body corporate, on behalf of the body corporate, any such information; or
 (b) to produce to the Inspector‑General any such documents.
Note: Failure to comply with a notice is an offence: see subsection (7).
 (2) If documents are produced to the Inspector‑General in accordance with a requirement under subsection (1), the Inspector‑General:
 (a) may take possession of, and may make copies of or take extracts from, the documents;
 (b) may retain possession of the documents for such period as is necessary for the purposes of the inquiry to which the documents relate; and
 (c) during that period must permit a person who would be entitled to inspect any one or more of the documents if they were not in the possession of the Inspector‑General to inspect at all reasonable times such of the documents as the person would be so entitled to inspect.

Requiring attendance
 (3) If the Inspector‑General has reason to believe that a person is able to give information relevant to a matter that is being inquired into by the Inspector‑General under this Act, the Inspector‑General may, by notice in writing given to the person, require the person to attend before the Inspector‑General, at such reasonable time and place as are specified in the notice, to answer questions relevant to the matter under inquiry.
Note: Failure to comply with a notice is an offence: see subsection (7).
 (4) The Inspector‑General may administer an oath or affirmation to a person required to attend before the Inspector‑General under subsection (3) and may examine the person on oath or affirmation.
Note 1: Failure to take an oath or make an affirmation is an offence: see subsection (7).
Note 2: This means that a hearing is a judicial proceeding for the purposes of Part III of the Crimes Act 1914, which creates various offences in relation to judicial proceedings.
 (5) The oath or affirmation to be taken or made by a person for the purposes of this section is an oath or affirmation that the evidence the person will give will be true.

Self‑incrimination and legal professional privilege
 (6) A person is not excused from giving any information, producing a