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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 4 Hansard (25 June) . . Page.. 1193 ..

The Bill provides that such protection is also extended to a member of an approved private sector committee, clarifying that such indemnity will be provided to the member by the prescribed body which established the committee.

Under the current provisions, a statement or disclosure produced before an approved public sector committee is not admissible as evidence in any proceeding, civil or criminal.

It is also prescribed that a member of such a committee is not compellable to be called as a witness before a court, tribunal, board or person in regard to matters that came to his or her notice as a member of the committee. The Bill introduces the same extent of protection for members of an approved private sector quality assurance committee.

In regard to both public and private sector quality assurance committees, the Bill introduces protection to any person assisting an approved committee. Such a person will not be liable to an action in relation to his or her role in assisting the committee if he or she was acting under the direction of the committee, has acted in good faith and if no reward or fee has been paid or is payable to him or her.

The Bill also prevents a member of an approved private sector quality assurance committee from disclosing the identity of a person to whom a health service was provided by the prescribed body without the written consent of that person.

An approved public and private sector quality assurance committee is entitled to determine its own procedures and may do whatever it considers necessary in conducting its functions.

As a safeguard to a fair and expeditious handling of the matter, the Bill provides that natural justice principles apply to the committee's procedures as relevant to its functions.

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