Queensland Consolidated Acts Queensland Consolidated Acts(1) Proceedings in the Assembly include all words spoken and acts done in the course of, or for the purposes of or incidental to, transacting business of the Assembly or a committee.
(2) Without limiting subsection (1), proceedings in the Assembly include—
(a) giving evidence before the Assembly, a committee or an inquiry; and
(b) evidence given before the Assembly, a committee or an inquiry; and
(c) presenting or submitting a document to the Assembly, a committee or an inquiry; and
(d) a document tabled in, or presented or submitted to, the Assembly, a committee or an inquiry; and
(e) preparing a document for the purposes of, or incidental to, transacting business mentioned in paragraph (a) or (c); and
(f) preparing, making or publishing a document (including a report) under the authority of the Assembly or a committee; and
(g) a document (including a report) prepared, made or published under the authority of the Assembly or a committee.
(3) Despite subsection (2)(d), section 8 does not apply to a document mentioned in subsection (2)(d)—
(a) in relation to a purpose for which it was brought into existence other than for the purpose of being tabled in, or presented or submitted to, the Assembly or a committee or an inquiry; and
(b) if the document has been authorised by the Assembly or the committee to be published.
Example—
A document evidencing fraud in a department tabled at a portfolio committee inquiry can be used in a criminal prosecution for the fraud if the document was not created for the committee's inquiry and the committee has authorised the document to be published.
(4) If the way in which a document is dealt with has the effect that—
(a) under an Act; or
(b) under the rules, orders, directions or practices of the Assembly;
the document is treated, or accepted, as having been tabled in the Assembly for any purpose, then, for the purposes of this Act, the document is taken to be tabled in the Assembly.
(5) For this section, it does not matter what the nature of the business transacted by a committee is or whether the business is transacted under this Act or otherwise.