Queensland Consolidated Acts

COMMISSIONS OF INQUIRY ACT 1950 - SECT 9

(1) A person who, having been served with a summons to attend before a commission as a witness, fails to attend before that commission in obedience to that summons shall be guilty of contempt of that commission.

(1A) Neither liability to be punished nor punishment under section 10 for that contempt shall excuse the offender from attending before the commission in obedience to the summons, and the chairperson may enforce the offender's attendance by warrant.

(2) A person who—

(a) having been served with a summons or other writing under the hand of a chairperson requiring production by the person to a commission of any book, document, writing, record, property or thing of whatever description fails to produce as required that which is in the person's custody or control; or

(b) being called or examined as a witness before a commission, refuses to be sworn or to make an affirmation or declaration or refuses or otherwise fails to answer any question put to the person by the commission or any commissioner, which the chairperson is satisfied is relevant to the inquiry; or

(c) wilfully threatens or insults—

(i) a commission; or

(ii) any commissioner; or

(iii) any lawyer or other person appointed, engaged or seconded to assist a commission; or

(iv) any witness or person summoned to attend before a commission; or

(v) any lawyer or other person having leave to appear before a commission; or

(d) by writing or speech uses words false and defamatory of a commission, or any commissioner; or

(e) misbehaves before a commission; or

(f) interrupts the proceedings of a commission; or

(g) obstructs or attempts to obstruct a commission, a commissioner, or a person acting under the authority of the chairperson, in the exercise of any lawful power or authority; or

(h) does any other thing which, if a commission were a court of law having power to commit for contempt, would be contempt of that court; or

(i) publishes, or permits or allows to be published, any evidence given before a commission or any of the contents of a book, document, writing or record produced at the inquiry which a commission has ordered not to be published;

shall be guilty of contempt of the commission concerned.