30Hearing to be open to public

30 Hearing to be open to public

(1)  [Section 30 Subsection (1) amended by No. 18 of 2021, s. 197, Applied:05 Nov 2021] Except as provided by this section, a hearing in proceedings is to be open to the public.

(2)  During any hearing in proceedings the Tribunal may, on the application of a party to the proceedings or on the Tribunal's own initiative, do either or both of the following, if it considers that there are compelling grounds to do so:

(a) make an order excluding any person from the hearing;

(b) make an order prohibiting the reporting or other disclosure of all or any part of the proceedings or prohibiting the reporting or other disclosure of particular information in respect of the proceedings.

(3)  Without limiting the grounds that may be relevant for the purposes of subsection (2) , the Tribunal may exercise its power under that subsection if –

(a) it is dealing with privileged information or information that has been communicated to the National Board or the Tribunal in confidence; or

(b) it is dealing with information concerning the personal affairs, finances or business arrangements of a person; or

(c) the disclosure of the information may be unfairly prejudicial to the reputation of a person.

(4)  Nothing in this section is to be taken to prevent the Tribunal from –

(a) meeting in private for the purpose of preparing for any proceedings or any stage of any proceedings; or

(b) meeting in private for the purposes of reaching a finding on any matter in the course of any proceedings.

(5)  A person must not fail to comply with an order under subsection (2)(a) .

Penalty:  Fine not exceeding 25 penalty units.

(6)  A person must not fail to comply with an order under subsection (2)(b) .

Penalty:  In the case of –