24Control of public reporting

24 Control of public reporting

(1)  The Commissioner may, by order, prohibit or restrict the public reporting of a hearing of an inquiry, or the publishing of any evidence taken or received by the Commissioner at a hearing, if the Commissioner is satisfied that the public interest in the reporting of that hearing or the publishing of that evidence is outweighed by any other consideration, including public security, privacy of personal or financial affairs and the right of any person to a fair trial.

(2)  An order under subsection (1) is to be made during a hearing which is open to the public and, on making the order, the Commissioner must state, in general terms, the reasons for making the order.

(3)  A person must comply with an order of the Commissioner made under subsection (1) .

Penalty:  In the case of –

(a) an individual, a fine not exceeding 100 penalty units or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years; or

(b) a body corporate, a fine not exceeding 1 000 penalty units.