{"id":"inquiries-witnesses-expenses-regulations-1967","name":"INQUIRIES (WITNESSES' EXPENSES) REGULATIONS 1967","slug":"inquiries-witnesses-expenses-regulations-1967","collection":"regulation","jurisdiction":"nt","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":176911,"registerId":"nt-inquiries-witnesses-expenses-regulations-1967-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-05","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"INQUIRIES (WITNESSES' EXPENSES) REGULATIONS 1967","content":"NORTHERN TERRITORY OF AUSTRALIA\nINQUIRIES (WITNESSES' EXPENSES) REGULATIONS 1967\nAs in force at 12 July 1967\nTable of provisions\n1 Citation ............................................................................................ 1\n2 Witnesses' expenses ....................................................................... 1\nENDNOTES\n\n\n\nNORTHERN TERRITORY OF AUSTRALIA\n____________________\nAs in force at 12 July 1967\n____________________\nINQUIRIES (WITNESSES' EXPENSES) REGULATIONS 1967\nRegulations under the Inquiries Act 1945\n1 Citation\nThese Regulations may be cited as the Inquiries (Witnesses'\nExpenses) Regulations 1967.\n2 Witnesses' expenses\n(1) Witnesses summoned to attend, and attending, a Board or\nCommissioner under the Inquiries Act 1945 may be paid\nallowances in accordance with the scale of witnesses' expenses\nprescribed for witnesses appearing before the High Court.\n(2) In the application of the scale to any such witness, the Chairman of\nthe Board or the Commissioner, as the case may be, shall have,\nand may exercise, all the powers and functions of the taxing officer\nunder that scale and a reference to a Court in that scale shall be\nread as a reference to an inquiry.\n\nENDNOTES\nInquiries (Witnesses' Expenses) Regulations 1967 2\nENDNOTES\n1 KEY\nKey to abbreviations\namd = amended od = order\napp = appendix om = omitted\nbl = by-law pt = Part\nch = Chapter r = regulation/rule\ncl = clause rem = remainder\ndiv = Division renum = renumbered\nexp = expires/expired rep = repealed\nf = forms s = section\nGaz = Gazette sch = Schedule\nhdg = heading sdiv = Subdivision\nins = inserted SL = Subordinate Legislation\nlt = long title sub = substituted\nnc = not commenced\n2 LIST OF LEGISLATION\nInquiries (Witnesses' Expenses) Regulations (SL No. 17, 1967)\nNotified 12 July 1967\nCommenced 12 July 1967\nOrdinances Revision Ordinance 1973 (Act No. 87, 1973)\nAssent date 11 December 1973\nCommenced 11 December 1973\n3 GENERAL AMENDMENTS\nGeneral amendments of a formal nature (which are not referred to in the list\nof amendments to this reprint) are made by section 11 of the Ordinances\nRevision Ordinance 1973 (Act No. 87, 1973) (as amended) to the following\nprovision: r 2.\n4 GENERAL AMENDMENTS\nGeneral amendments of a formal nature (which are not referred to in the table\nof amendments to this reprint) are made by the Interpretation Legislation\nAmendment Act 2018 (Act No. 22, 2018) to: rr 1 and 2.","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Based on the available metadata, there is no indication that the scope of these regulations has changed from their original intent. They appear to have been made for the specific and narrow purpose of governing witness expense reimbursement at inquiries, and that purpose remains consistent with their current status as in-force regulations under the Department of the Chief Minister and Cabinet."},"complexity_factors":["Very narrow and specific subject matter — limited to witness expense reimbursement","Subordinate legislation only, operating under a parent Act (adding one layer of legal hierarchy to understand)","Likely contains schedules with fee tables that may require cross-referencing","Age of the instrument (1967) may mean terminology or rates are outdated or have been amended, requiring readers to check reprint history","Full text not provided, limiting complete assessment — but scope appears administratively straightforward"],"plain_english_summary":"These 1967 subordinate regulations set rules for reimbursing people compelled or asked to give evidence at formal government inquiries, covering travel, accommodation and possible lost income. \n\nThey affect witnesses, inquiry organizers and administrative staff, ensuring ordinary people aren’t financially disadvantaged for participating in inquiries; administered by the Department of the Chief Minister and Cabinet."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The regulations continue the narrow function of permitting payment of witness allowances for Boards and Commissioners by applying the High Court scale; endnotes show only formal/technical amendments to r 2 and rr 1–2, and no substantive expansion or contraction of that core scope."},"complexity_factors":["Very short instrument (2 regulations) — low structural complexity.","Creates dependence on an external instrument (the High Court witnesses' expenses scale), so users must consult that separate scale to calculate amounts.","Delegates taxing‑officer powers to the Chairman or Commissioner, introducing administrative discretion in fee assessment and payment (r 2).","Replaces references to ‘Court’ with ‘inquiry’, requiring contextual interpretation when applying the external scale (r 2).","Does not specify funding source or payment mechanics (who pays operationally), leaving practical implementation to inquiry authorities.","Endnotes record only formal amendments; no substantive procedural additions that would materially increase complexity."],"plain_english_summary":"These regulations allow witnesses summoned to a Board or Commissioner under the Inquiries Act 1945 to be paid allowances using the same scale that applies to witnesses in the High Court. The Chairman of a Board or the Commissioner exercises the taxing‑officer functions and treats references to a “Court” in that scale as references to the inquiry, so the inquiry authority decides and applies the rates (r 2)."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation remains tightly focused on its original purpose of establishing payment for witnesses at inquiries. The only amendments noted are 'general amendments of a formal nature' made by the Ordinances Revision Ordinance 1973 and the Interpretation Legislation Amendment Act 2018, which typically involve updating language or references without changing substantive scope."},"complexity_factors":["Only 2 regulations total","No defined terms section","Single operative provision (regulation 2) with two subsections","No cross-references to other legislation except a single reference to the Inquiries Act 1945 and the High Court scale","No conditional logic, exceptions, or nested provisions","Extremely short — approximately 150 words of substantive content"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this legislation does:**\n\nThese regulations set out how witnesses get paid when they are called to give evidence at official inquiries in the Northern Territory.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n\n- **Witnesses** who are formally summoned (legally required) to attend inquiries conducted by a Board or Commissioner under the *Inquiries Act 1945*\n- **People running the inquiry** — specifically the Chairman of the Board or the Commissioner, who decides how much witnesses get paid\n\n**How it works:**\n\n- Witnesses can claim **allowances** (money for travel, meals, lost wages, etc.) when they attend an inquiry\n- The amount they get is based on the same **scale** (payment schedule) used for witnesses appearing before the **High Court** — Australia's highest court\n- The person running the inquiry (the Chairman or Commissioner) acts as the \"taxing officer\" — meaning they have the power to assess and approve these expenses, just like a court official would for High Court witnesses\n- Any reference to \"Court\" in the High Court payment rules is read as \"inquiry\" for these purposes\n\n**Why it matters:**\n\nThis ensures people who are required to give evidence at official inquiries aren't left out of pocket. Without this, witnesses might refuse to attend or be financially disadvantaged for helping with important investigations."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/inquiries-witnesses-expenses-regulations-1967","history":"/api/acts/inquiries-witnesses-expenses-regulations-1967/history","analysis":"/api/acts/inquiries-witnesses-expenses-regulations-1967/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/inquiries-witnesses-expenses-regulations-1967/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/inquiries-witnesses-expenses-regulations-1967/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/inquiries-witnesses-expenses-regulations-1967/documents"}}