24Contempt of Parliament

24 Contempt of Parliament

(1)  A Member is guilty of contempt of Parliament if the Member –

(a) fails to lodge a return when required under this Act; or

(b) [Section 24 Subsection (1) amended by No. 41 of 2017, s. 20, Applied:01 Dec 2017] subject to subsection (1A) , fails to disclose any information required under this Act; or

(c) provides false or misleading information on a return.

(1A)  [Section 24 Subsection (1A) inserted by No. 41 of 2017, s. 20, Applied:01 Dec 2017] A Member does not fail to disclose any information required under this Act if, in the case of information relating to a spouse, the Member –

(a) makes all reasonable attempts to obtain that information; or

(b) could not reasonably be expected to have been aware of the information.

(1B)  [Section 24 Subsection (1B) inserted by No. 41 of 2017, s. 20, Applied:01 Dec 2017] A Member is not guilty of contempt of Parliament in respect of a return if –

(a) it is lodged in good faith; and

(b) at the time it is lodged, it meets the requirements of this Act.

(2)  In addition to any punishment given for contempt of Parliament by a Member, the relevant House of Parliament may do any or all of the following:

(a) admonish the Member;

(b) impose a fine on the Member of an amount not exceeding $10 000;

(c) suspend the Member for any period it determines.