Australian Capital Territory Current Acts

VICTIMS OF CRIME ACT 1994 - SECT 29

    (1)     A person to whom this section applies commits an offence if—

        (a)     the person—

              (i)     makes a record of protected information about someone else; and

              (ii)     is reckless about whether the information is protected information about someone else; or

        (b)     the person—

              (i)     does something that divulges protected information about someone else; and

              (ii)     is reckless about whether—

    (A)     the information is protected information about someone else; and

    (B)     doing the thing would result in the information being divulged to someone else.

Maximum penalty: 50 penalty units, imprisonment for 6 months or both.

    (2)     Subsection (1) does not apply if the record is made, or the information is divulged—

        (a)     under this Act or another law applying in the Territory; or

        (b)     in relation to the exercise of a function, as a person to whom this section applies, under this Act or another law applying in the Territory.

Note     The defendant has an evidential burden in relation to the matters mentioned in s (2) (see Criminal Code

, s 58).

    (3)     Subsection (1) does not apply to the divulging of protected information about someone with the person's consent.

Note     The defendant has an evidential burden in relation to the matters mentioned in s (3) (see Criminal Code

, s 58).

    (4)     A person to whom this section applies need not divulge protected information to a court, or produce a document containing protected information to a court, unless it is necessary to do so for this Act or another law applying in the Territory.

    (5)     In this section:

"court" includes a tribunal, authority or person having power to require the production of documents or the answering of questions.

"divulge" includes communicate.

"person to whom this section applies" means a person who—

        (a)     is or has been—

              (i)     the commissioner; or

              (ii)     a member of the staff of the commissioner; or

        (b)     exercises, or has exercised, a function under this Act.

"produce" includes allow access to.

"protected information" means information about a person that is disclosed to, or obtained by, a person to whom this section applies because of the exercise of a function under this Act by the person or someone else.