24Hearings

24 Hearings

(1)  The Regulator must, before holding a hearing for the purposes of a price determination investigation, give at least 14 days’ notice of the hearing, published in one or more daily newspapers circulating in Tasmania.

(2)  A notice of a hearing for the purpose of subregulation (1) is to specify –

(a) the purpose of the hearing; and

(b) the time and place at which the hearing is to be held.

(3)  A hearing referred to in subregulation (1) is to be held in public.

(4)  Despite subregulation (3) , the Regulator may, if satisfied that it would be in the public interest to do so, or that evidence to be presented is, or is likely to be, of a confidential or commercially sensitive nature –

(a) direct that a hearing, or part of a hearing, is to take place in private and give directions as to the persons who may be present at the hearing; and

(b) give directions prohibiting or restricting the publication of evidence given, or documents produced, at the hearing.

(5)  A person must not contravene a direction given under subregulation (4) .

Penalty:  Fine not exceeding 100 penalty units.

(6)  The following information is taken to be classified by the Regulator as confidential and is not liable to disclosure under the Right to Information Act 2009 :

(a) evidence given, or documents produced, at a hearing to which a direction under subregulation (4)(b) relates;

(b) records of the giving or production of evidence, or documents, to which paragraph (a) relates.

(7)  For the avoidance of doubt, a reference in this Part –

(a) to a hearing includes a hearing held electronically; and

(b) to attending a hearing includes attending a hearing electronically; and