Commonwealth Consolidated Acts

INDEPENDENT PARLIAMENTARY EXPENSES AUTHORITY ACT 2017 - SECT 60

  (1)   The Authority must not include particular information in a public report if:

  (a)   the Authority is of the opinion that disclosure of the information would be contrary to the public interest because the disclosure would prejudice the security, defence or international relations of the Commonwealth; or

  (b)   the Attorney - General has issued a certificate to the Authority stating that, in the opinion of the Attorney - General, disclosure of the information would be contrary to the public interest because the disclosure would prejudice the security, defence or international relations of the Commonwealth; or

  (c)   the Authority is of the opinion that disclosure of the information would be likely to result in serious harm to, or would be likely to put at risk the safety of, the individual, or any of the individuals, to whom the information relates.

  (2)   The Authority cannot be required, and is not permitted, to disclose to:

  (a)   a House of the Parliament; or

  (b)   a member of a House of the Parliament; or

  (c)   a committee of a House of the Parliament or a joint committee of both Houses of the Parliament;

information that subsection   (1) prohibits being included in a public report.

  (3)   If the Authority omits particular information from a public report because the Attorney - General has issued a certificate under paragraph   (1)(b) in relation to the information, the Authority must state in the report:

  (a)   that information (which does not have to be identified) has been omitted from the report; and

  (b)   that the Attorney - General issued the certificate because the Attorney - General was of the opinion that disclosure of the information would be contrary to the public interest because the disclosure would prejudice the security, defence or international relations of the Commonwealth.

  (4)   If, because of subsection   (1), the Authority:

  (a)   decides not to prepare a public report; or

  (b)   omits particular information from a public report;

the Authority may prepare a report under this subsection that includes the information concerned. The Authority must give a copy of each report under this subsection to:

  (c)   the Prime Minister; and

  (d)   the Minister.

  (5)   For the purposes of this section, public report means a report that is to be published on the Authority's website.