Page 3195 - Week 11 - Thursday, 13 September 1990
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danger that important evidence could be destroyed. Sometimes you have to balance the rights, if you like, of those who are being investigated to enable the investigation to carry on at an appropriate level and to make sure that the full evidence is available and eventually can be brought before the court if that is necessary.
However, while saying this, I am also concerned to ensure that the confidentiality of investigations and information is maintained. There should be very severe penalties for people who breach the privacy provisions of this Act, and any other similar Act which establishes committees and organisations like this. It is most important for confidentiality to be maintained, and I would like to see serious and very heavy penalties for people who breach these provisions.
In closing, Mr Speaker, I would like to comment on recommendation No. 18, that heads of agencies and statutory office holders be required to report any matter suspected on reasonable grounds to concern corrupt conduct.
Such a provision will reinforce the responsibility of senior government officers to ensure that they pass on information provided by officials who report their concerns to them. They will know that any failure to pass on this information could well cause a problem if it is found eventually that those concerns have not been passed on and investigated.
Also I think it appropriate at this time to read into the record the definition of corrupt conduct generally accepted by the Government, as recommended by the committee. I refer to recommendation No. 10, on page viii of the report on the independent advisory committee against corruption. It says:
"corrupt conduct" be defined in the proposed legislation as:
any conduct that adversely affects or that could adversely affect, directly or indirectly, the honest or impartial exercise of official functions by any public official or public authority;
any conduct of a public official or former public official that constitutes or involves the dishonest or partial exercise of an official function, constitutes or involves a breach of public trust or involves the misuse of information or material acquired in the course of official functions, whether for that person's benefit or for the benefit of any other person; and
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