32Evidence on oath or by affirmation

32  Evidence on oath or by affirmation

 (1) At a hearing for a special inquiry, the Commissioner may:

 (a) require a witness to either take an oath or make an affirmation; and

 (b) administer an oath or affirmation to the witness.

Note 1: Refusal to take an oath or make an affirmation is an offence: see subsection 57(1).

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.

 (2) The oath or affirmation is an oath or affirmation that the evidence the person will give will be true.

 (3) The Commissioner may allow a person attending a hearing who has been sworn, or who has made an affirmation, to give evidence by tendering a written statement and verifying it by oath or affirmation.