Notes for Witnesses at Hearings

The following information may be of help to you in preparing to give evidence to the Committee at a hearing.

On entering the hearing room you should make yourself known to the Committee Secretary or a member of the Secretariat.
When it is your turn to give evidence, the Chairman of the Committee will ask you to take a place at the hearing table.
In accordance with section 10 of the Public Accounts and Audit Committee Act 1951, you will be asked to stand and take an oath or make an affirmation. You should be aware that the giving of false or misleading evidence to the Committee may be regarded as contempt of Parliament.
Having been sworn or affirmed, the Vice-Chairman will ask you to state your full name and the capacity in which you appear before the Committee.
By appearing before the Committee you will be participating in the proceedings of the Parliament and the evidence you give will be covered by parliamentary privilege. This means that any evidence you give to the Committee cannot be the subject of defamation proceedings. Nor can it be used in court to attack, or draw inferences about, your motivation, credibility, truthfulness or honesty.

If you have made a written submission, the Chairman will ask you whether you have any further statement to make in relation to the submission.
After any opening statement you may wish to make, the Chairman and other members of the Committee will ask questions of you. These questions are intended to clarify aspects of your submission, to seek information relevant to matters within the Committee's terms of reference, and to allow you to present and explain your views to the Committee.
No person other than a member of the Committee may question a witness if the proceedings of the Committee are to constitute formal proceedings of the Parliament and attract parliamentary privilege. If a witness wishes to raise an issue for discussion, the witness must direct his or her comments to the Chairman and the Committee will decide if it wishes to pursue the matter. It is not possible for participants to respond directly to each other.
If you would like to give the Committee any additional documents in support of your submission or oral evidence you may do so. The Committee will receive such material either as a supplementary submission or as an exhibit.
If your are unable to answer a question at the hearing, the Committee would be happy to receive a written response at a later date.

If, at any time, you feel the information requested by a member of the Committee is confidential , you may ask that your evidence, or part of it, be heard in-camera. If the Committee agrees to hear evidence in-camera any members of the public who are present will be asked to leave the hearing room and the recording and transcript of your evidence will be treated confidentially. Any evidence taken in these circumstances would not be released without your consent.

The Parliamentary Reporting Staff (Hansard) will record the proceedings of the hearing. Later, a proof copy of the transcript of evidence will be forwarded to you for examination and correction where necessary.

Occasionally the Committee's proceedings may be broadcast or televised or recorded for later broadcasting or televising. if you have any objections to the broadcasting or televising of your evidence please advise the Committee Secretary or Secretariat staff before the hearing commences.

If you are appearing in private capacity and have incurred expenses in attending the hearing you may claim reimbursement. You must contact the Committee secretariat well in advance of the hearing for details of allowances payable.

Detailed information about the procedures followed by committees in their dealings with witnesses can be found in the secretariat paper Procedures for the Protection of Witnesses. If you would like a copy of that paper, or have any questions about the above information, please contact the Committee Secretariat on telephone (02) 6277 4615 or facsimile (02) 6277 2220.