18Draft reports––industry reference investigations

18 Draft reports––industry reference investigations (1) Before giving the referring authority a final report into an investigation on an industry reference, the commission must prepare a notice— (a) stating that copies of a draft report into the investigation are available for public inspection and purchase during a stated period of not less than 20 business days at a stated place or places; and (b) inviting interested people to submit written comments about the draft report to the commission at a stated address and within a stated period of not less than 20 business days. (2) The notice is a notifiable instrument. (3) The commission must give additional public notice of the notice. Note Public notice means notice on an ACT government website or in a daily newspaper circulating in the ACT (see Legislation Act, dict, pt 1). The requirement in s (3) is in addition to the requirement for notification on the legislation register as a notifiable instrument. (4) The commission must make copies of a draft report into an investigation available for public inspection and purchase during office hours during the period, and at the places, specified in the notice. (5) A draft report into a price regulation investigation must include all of the following: (a) a proposed price direction (or variation); (b) a proposed statement of reasons for the direction (or variation) that includes a statement of the extent to which the commission had regard to the matters mentioned in section 20 (2); (c) any proposed report by a commissioner dissenting from proposed majority findings of the commission.

(6) In preparing its final report of an investigation, the commission must take into consideration any written comments submitted in accordance with the invitation in subsection (1) in relation to the draft report of the investigation.